La Crosse County receives grant to replace load-restricted bridges

Helping bridge farmers to increased efficiency, La Crosse County was one of 152 local communities awarded a transportation grant under the one-time, $75 million Multimodal Local Supplement program.

Three bridges in the towns of Barre and Farmington will be replaced, eliminating significant detours for farmers and other area businesses.

“Today is a great way to talk about how we are connecting the dots,” Randy Romanski, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Interim Secretary, said. “The Department of Transportation is making that connection directly with agriculture.”

Romanski noted agriculture is a $105 billion industry for Wisconsin that has a ripple effect throughout the entire economy.

“The importance of a strong infrastructure is paramount in a place like rural La Crosse County,” Romanski said. “All of those investments help strengthen the state.”

Those three bridges are at County T over Fleming Creek (Town of Farmington), County YY over Br of Bostwick Creek (Town of Barre), and County I over Br of Bostwick Creek (Town of Barre).

The bridges were built in the 1970s and have load postings that result in significant detours of eight to 11 miles. They are in areas of heavy agricultural use and impact the farm to market routes, decreasing the profit margin in an already tight industry.

“It is a way to make sure transportation dollars are getting right down to the root of where the production is happening,” Romanski said.

The project estimate is $449,966 and was awarded $314,997.