La Crosse looking into study to bring docking facility to Riverside Park

Study to cost $70,000, while money has been set aside for facility already.

People traveling on the water may soon have an easy way to dock right in downtown La Crosse.

A long-awaited boat docking facility downtown at Riverside Park could take a big step forward soon.

In February, the city council will consider a proposal to fund a $70,000 study on putting transient docks and a cruise ship landing on the city’s riverfront.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been approved to build the docking facility.  

The study will gauge river currents and do river bottom soil samples along the park, as well as up both the Black and La Crosse rivers to see how intense and what direction the currents move.

The study will also look at an ideal landing for cruise ships, especially Viking Cruise Lines. The European cruise giant could have its long ships on the Mississippi River as soon as next year.  

Viking Cruises announced plans a couple of years ago to bring its modern river cruise ships to the Mississippi River. Ship construction issues have pushed back those plans until at least next year.