This absolutely gorgeous concrete girder bridge carries WI-35 over the St. Croix River in northern Burnett County about a dozen miles north of Danbury. The bridge is a combination of fantastic location, an important river, a practical bridge, and a well coordinated set of modest decorations. This proves that it does not take that much effort and expense to turn an ordinary bridge design into something spectacular that an entire community can be proud of.

The bridge itself is a fairly ordinary prestressed concrete girder bridge. This is the most common bridge type being built in the upper midwest. The deck has the very modern sidewalk configruation where the pedestrian traffic is protected from car traffic by a concrete barrier. Since the barrier is towards the inside of the bridge, a decorative metal railing can be installed along the outside edge of the bridge. That is just the first of several decorations on the structure. Others include the rock pattern in the concrete, the cream colored concrete, the arches and angles on the piers, and the color coordinated rock used as rip-rap.

I was surprised to find this new bridge when I arrived at this location in May of 2008. The NBI database suggested that I would find a 4 span deck truss bridge. That bridge appears to have been taken out in 2007, but I have not been able to confirm that date. Also, since the new bridge is so new, it is not in the NBI yet, so I have not been able to confirm any of its dimensions.

Here is the data on the old deck truss bridge: