Wisconsin & Southern Railroad to improve bridges, rail with DOT funding

The Wisconsin DOT announced funding that will help Wisconsin & Southern Railroad infrastructure.

The Troy Drive Railroad Bridge in the city of Madison, Wisc., will be replaced thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as part of the 2022 Freight Rail Preservation Program.

The railroad bridge over Troy Drive limits a critical neighborhood connection point, used daily by residents to get to and from work, school and more. Currently, the sidewalk goes through a dark and unfriendly underpass, and the bridge is too low to allow buses, trucks, or emergency vehicles to pass through.

The new bridge proposed would span the entire right of way, allowing for two vehicle lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the road. This is a much-needed improvement to facilitate safe travel for all modes of transportation. 

Plans will be presented to the neighborhood to make sure the project meets the needs of the community. The city will work with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad to ensure the project meets their needs as well.   

Design is planned to begin as soon as possible and construction is planned to start in late 2023 or 2024.

The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad will have four projects funded by Wisconsin DOT money.

About $3.5 million has been awarded to fund the rehabilitation of five bridges and 1 mile of track in Janesville. The project will increase capacity of the bridges to 286,000-lb carloads. Over $4 million in funding will be used to rehab 22 miles of track from Waunakee to Devil’s Lake. Crews will replace over 27,000 ties and reconstruct nine at-grade crossings. Four timber bridges will be replaced in Crawford, Grant, Iowa, and Sauk counties at a cost of over $3.7 million. Two rail bridges in Columbia County will be rehabilitated as well, using over $1 million in funding.

Read more articles on rail bridges.