A pedestrian bridge was recently proposed in Sauk City that might one day link bike trails to enable cyclists to ride from Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo to the Madison area.
Still in the early planning stage, Dane and Sauk counties have pledged $4m, which it is believed will help the project qualify for the necessary federal money to bring the “recreational, scenic gateway” to fruition. The cost to design and engineer a replacement for a century-old, out-of-commission rail bridge is expected to be around $8m.
The plan would connect the already existing 13-mile recreational Great Sauk State Trail, located between Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area and Sauk City, to a couple of new trail segments in the development stage. The new trails on the Dane County side of the Wisconsin River would be a connector to the Highway 12 trail and a seven-mile trail known as the Walking Iron Trail, which follows the river to Mazomanie.
Printing services may be engaged to create trail maps featuring nearby businesses.
Great Sauk Trail Commission Chairman Marty Krueger said:
“Someday you’ll be able to hop on a bike in Middleton and ride all the way to the Mississippi River.”
A study conducted by UW-Extension researchers found hundreds of thousands of snowmobilers, as well as cyclists, drawn by the “Gateway to the Driftless Trail System” that might directly generate an economic impact in excess of $6m.
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