Welcome to Gateway to The Driftless

Gateway to The Driftless (GTTD) has joined with local governments and other community partners to request the Dane County 2022 budget include a cost share toward construction of the proposed Wisconsin River Recreation Bridge.

The proposed bridge at Sauk City would connect the future Walking Iron Trail in Dane County to the Great Sauk State Trail in Sauk County, at an estimated cost of $8M. In a June 1 joint letter to Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, GTTD and the villages of Cross Plains, Black Earth, and Mazomanie urge construction of the bridge as being vital to the economic recovery and long-term growth of northwest Dane County after the pandemic.

"As our Northwest Dane County communities seek a clear path to economic recovery and a vibrant future, we see the proposed bridge as key to realizing our shared vision of a 60-mile world-class, multi-use recreational trail connecting our communities and the two counties. This trail system would be a major enhancement to our region’s quality of life and spur community growth and responsible long-term economic development." the joint letter says.

A recently completed economic impact study by UW-Extension of the proposed bike-pedestrian-snowmobile regional trail found that by connecting Madison, Devil’s Lake State Park, the Black Earth Creek recreational corridor, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, Wolf Run Trail, Ice Age Trail, and other major state trails, the envisioned trail would be expected to be the busiest trail in the state.