Located between Sparta and Tomah near Ft. McCoy, this large through truss bridge is one of several similar structures along the Sparta-Milwaukee line.
Built in 1911 to cross the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road), the bridge features a massive 189-foot riveted Quadrangular Through Truss, approached by a deck girder span on either side. The entire bridge runs at a very heavy skew, and sits on concrete substructures.
This spot was likely chosen for the crossing due to the flat land and curve that the Milwaukee Road ran at. Because the C&NW was to run parallel to the Milwaukee Road, this spot was chosen to minimize the amount of land needed for the C&NW.
AS a result, the bridge runs at a heavy skew, with sharp curves on either side. Typically, railroads tried to prevent using curves this sharp.
Fortunately, the bridge retains four plaques, all of which state the bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. Pennsylvania Steel received the contract for dozens of bridges along this line, along with King Bridge Company and American Bridge Company. Cleary-White Construction Company completed the substructures.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in excellent condition. The future is unknown for the bridge, as it is near an active Army base. The rail line below is the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway today.
The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the size and skew of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview.