Winneconne,
where the Wolf River runs through it —
The old “draw-bridge” is gone, the new bridge arches a bit higher,
longer.
And,
in an attempt to hold on to a widely know legendary tradition, a couple of
fishing platforms are now under construction.
Winneconne,
February, 2019: There’s the sound of pile-driving in the air. Rhythmic. Almost
relentless.
Even in this harsh winter, with ice
forming/melting/repeat, winds raging and snow flying, you can see busy crews of
construction workers, their neon-yellow vests daffodil-alive in the dead of
winter.
They’re
out there on barges on the east side of the Wolf River setting up forms and
spilling out concrete. They’re along its banks, transferring supplies,
discussing the next facet of the project. They’re on the village’s roads,
driving trucks with load after load of equipment and all that stuff that will
come together to give us a nice place to fish.
Some
fairly notable highway bridges span the Fox and Wolf Rivers; many smaller ones
take us over their tributaries. But none is as well known, as often talked
about, and as faithfully fished from, as what was commonly called The Winneconne
Bridge.
But…
it’s gone.
Officially
named the Merrill T. White Bridge, it was a bascule bridge – also referred to
as a drawbridge – and about 85 years old. Boaters who navigated that section of
the Wolf River in tall vessels had to signal the bridge-tender up in his little
house, wait for vehicular traffic to clear and the gates to go down, then wait
for the bridge’s two mid-sections to swing up.
Vehicles
on the bridge waited, too, and traffic often got backed up that bridge. All
that waiting during busy summers also got old.
But
one tradition stayed strong: The surface of the old Winneconne bridge was a
favorite destination for local fisher-folks and out-of-state anglers. During
the spring and fall walleye, they’d be out there on its span in cold dark
nights and crisp predawn mornings to earn a spot.
And
that often meant waiting for a turn in a favored spot, then standing shoulder
to shoulder.
Things
sure have changed. Open to traffic since Oct. 2018, the new fixed-span bridge
is about 10 feet wider than the old one. It has curving approaches, a bike
lane, one wider sidewalk, also for snowmobilers, and two viewing bump-outs. At
its highest arc, the bottom concrete girder rises about 23 feet above the
standard low-water elevation of the river – roughly the same height as the top
of the old bridge’s tender hut.
It
can accommodate the passage of the Fin ‘n’ Feather’s Showboat, one of
Winneconne’s many visitor attractions, as well as other craft on the Fox/Wolf
waterways. It won’t need to open. We won’t need to wait.
The
Village’s $5.9 million dollar utility and sewer improvement projects, which
were coordinated with the work on the bridge, also are nearly finished.
According
to Bill Bertrand, WI DOT Project Manager for the State Highway 116 Wolf Bridge
and Approaches, “It’s gone very well and it’s pretty much been on schedule. We
recognize there’s been some
inconvenience – with changing detours, noise, and other factors. There’s
also been very good cooperation with the Village. And the residents have been
patient and understanding.”
Construction
for the first four facets of the $11-million bridge project began on September
11, 2017 and finished in October 2018. The planning, and calls for public input
go back to 2005. At meetings of DOT representatives, village officials,
stakeholders and other citizens, they explored and explained the reasons for
the project, its cost, design options, and progress. Land acquisitions,
aesthetic considerations, costs, changing traffic patterns and those deeply
respected fishing traditions also were discussed.
Yes,
fishing. While no fishing is allowed from the new bridge, according to
Bertrand, the two fishing platforms – the last of the five major phases of the
project – were included in the design so the essence of that tradition could
continue. Lunda Construction Company started work on this phase in Oct. 2018;
plans call for it to be completed in September 2019.
The
fishing platforms will be permanent piers about 22 feet wide and 220 feet long
stretching out from the west and east shores. Set in roughly the same location
as the old bridge, they’re being constructed parallel to the new bridge, and
about 10 feet from its north side.
Between
the platforms, a 265-foot gap – about 88 yards – will serve as access to the
navigation channel. No boats, powered or paddled, will be allowed under the
platforms, which will be approximately 6.5 feet above the ordinary high water
mark.
The platforms will be accessible only by foot.
The east-side (North First Avenue) access area will include a cul de sac with
parking for 8 or 9 vehicles, as well as a drop-off place for people and/or
gear. Two boardwalks, one coming from the north (Fin ‘n’ Feather); the other
near the former site of The Other Place, are planned for the west side.
Each
platform will have a canopy at its river-end. The railings will have
depressions to provide lower-level access for physically challenged and young
anglers.
For
the 2019 spring spawning run, anglers will fish from the shores and in boats.
Construction won’t stop, but there are restrictions on in-stream work between
mid-March and June 1. The goal is to get as much of the underwater done during
winter and ease the project’s impact on fish and other wildlife.
Regarding
the crews building the platform, Bertrand said, “The bridge contractor employs
some very tough individuals. They’re accustomed to working in challenging
conditions.”
All
that, just to fish? Well, anyone who’s fished on the Winneconne’s bridge can
understand the motivation to provide something that comes as close to that
experience as possible. And that’s what
the platforms were designed to do – reach out from tradition.
Fishing
on the bridge is a hearty, fascinating, many-faceted tradition that goes back
to the days of long bamboo poles reaching out over the railings from the hands
of anglers dressed in suits and ties. And, there were more humble bridges and
eager anglers even before that.
What’s
the fuss about? If you haven’t heard a fish story from a bridge-angler, go
ahead and ask around in Winneconne during the spring run. He might be from
Chicago and comes up there every year, like his grandfather did. She might be a
middle-schooler, who doesn’t mind the cold and loves to try for big ol’ “‘eye.”
You’ll
hear tales of huge sturgeon ripping through a line of lines, lots of walleye
over many nights, tangled lines, slipping around on minnows, and of the
weather’s nasty surprises, more keenly felt up there on that bridge.
Listen,
ask, and you may get a sense of the camaraderie the grew between local and
out-of-town anglers over the years. And get a sense for the challenges, the
only-in-Winneconne mystic of it all.
The
platforms won’t be the same, but they’ll come close. Bertrand said, “When this
is all finished, will definitely be a benefit to the Winneconne area. Having a
fixed bridge means the east and west sides of the community are more
accessible, and better united, in a way. The fishing platforms will be unique in
the whole state. I don’t think any other locale has anything like it. At the
end of this project, the village will have some very nice amenities for
tourists and residents.”
The
Village of Winneconne is worth a visit any time of year. Come September, there
will be another draw.
And
you may hear an echo of the relentless pile drivers; feel the pride of those
who worked through a very rough winter… and even catch a walleye to two.
________________________________________
Wisconsin
Department of Transportation (WI DOT) refers to this project as the WIS 116
(Main St.) reconstruction and Wolf River Bridge replacement in downtown
Winneconne, Wisconsin.
The
previous bridge had a span of about 750 feet over the section of the
250-miles-long Wolf River where it conducted WIS 116 and joins the east and
west sides of the Village of Winneconne.
That
crossing is vital to residents of the Village, and its surrounding region, as
well as to its visitors, businesses, emergency response and the ever-growing
amount of through traffic.
The
nearest Wolf River-system crossings are the US 41 bridge over Lake Butte des
Morts, 9.5 miles southeast; and the US 10 bridge near Fremont, about 20 miles
northwest.
The
layout and functions of that section of Wolf River country and the communities
beyond it encompass significant variations — from rural to urban, from rivers
and lakes to farm fields and uplands, from a quiet, near-up-north experience to
that of some good-sized cities.
The WIS 116 bridge in Winneconne is the
region’s new lifeline and its unifier. And, in about seven months, it also will
have fishing platforms like no other in the state.
