The drive on Highway 14 will never be the same
I like traveling on Highway 14 when I make the drive west of Madison to our Wisconsin River property near Muscoda. There’s something about the quaint communities and retail shops that seem more attractive, more comfortable and inviting, than the stale drive west on four-lane Highways 18/151.
I always enjoyed crossing Old Greenie, as I call it, as I got my first glimpse of the Wisconsin River near Spring Green. I could quickly glance down at the sand-darkened water and gauge whether the river was up or down since my last visit and whether one might be able to launch a fishing boat in Muscoda.
That drive changed last October when a new bridge, costing nearly $12 million, opened. On my last trip to Muscoda in November, I was driving on the new bridge, running parallel to the old truss bridge, which workers now are dismantling.
Sure, that 60-year-old bridge might have been claustrophobically narrow, particularly when a semi was heading your way. It might not have been structurally sound any longer. And it’s nice that the 2 million pounds of steel in its eight trusses are being recycled.
But that picturesque bridge, which connected Iowa County to Sauk County, had character and personality. It fit the artistic community of Spring Green on the far side. The new bridge is like, well, driving along a homogenized four-lane highway.
I just wish I'd taken the time to snap a picture of Old Greenie, perhaps with some of the many paddlers enjoying the river in canoes and kayaks below it.
Greg Peck
Dec 28, 2009 at 7:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
I also enjoy the character and styling of an old steel and rivet bridge. My favorite is the bridge connecting Wisconsin to Lansing, Iowa. I believe it is 82 which turns into 9. With the bar grate decking and and angles which would be the envy of any Geometry teacher. This hulk of iron is a modern day dinosaur. Just be sure you don't drive over 35 mph when you crest the peak, if so, cue Waylon Jennings.
Dec 28, 2009 at 4:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
Travel a little further west to the Blue River bridge if you like them narrow.
Personally, I like the Boscobel bridge on U.S. 61 heading north, as the bluff on the Crawford County side is quite impressive to look at.
Dec 28, 2009 at 3:28 p.m.
Suggest removal
Sssssshhhhhhhhhush!
Don't tell everyone. The next thing you know all the land will get bought up and fenced in.
Dec 28, 2009 at 2:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
There is a beauty to Southwestern Wisconsin that most people don't know about. I've made many a trips throughout the area south and west of LaCrosse/Madison/Dubuque. It's a beauty that is cannot be described.
Dec 28, 2009 at 12:51 p.m.
Suggest removal
And when you crossed the bridge you i'm sure always looked at the sandbars & tree to see how many eagles you could see,that has always been one of the things i've looked for! Then you know when you are their,that you only have a half hour left driving to be in gods country,i know this area very well,many friends that are like family to me!
Dec 28, 2009 at 11:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
I agree the truss bridges all had a certain charm. I think it was because they were so different from the normal roadway; they defined the river crossing as a special experience. If they were too narrow for modern standards, well, then, they forced you to slow down and that gave you a chance to become a sightseer again.
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