Since 1928, the village of Cassville, Wisconsin has lobbied several times to construct a bridge across the Mississippi River, on a 60-mile stretch of river without a highway crossing that flows along Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin and Clayton/Dubuque counties in northeastern Iowa, only to be turned away by officials in both states during each attempt.  With your help, we can turn the future of this forgotten region from a sunset into a sunrise by bridging this 60-mile gap between crossings, which happens to be the longest stretch of bridgeless water you will find on the upper Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Moline.

The federal government is currently drafting a plan for making one of the largest U.S. infrastructure investments in decades, and constructing bridges will be an important part of that plan.  We want the states of Wisconsin and Iowa to each appropriate $1 million dollars in funding for a full economic impact/feasibility study to be conducted on the project.  This study will provide the evidence needed in order to take advantage of those federal funds and break ground on the project.  Let’s not squander this opportunity.  Let's demonstrate to local, state and federal officials through this petition how a bridge between Cassville, Wisconsin and rural Guttenberg, Iowa can revitalize a region of the Upper Midwest decimated by the demise of family farms, the loss of family-supporting manufacturing jobs and blue-collar industries, and a surge in urban migration and “brain drain”.

We need YOUR help to SIGN and SHARE this petition with friends, family and anyone else who wants to see the federal and state governments do something positive for its rural residents. Rural communities need adequate infrastructure to survive and compete with their urban friends and neighbors, and despite technological innovations, the physical transport of workers, goods, and services will always remain a critical component to all communities large and small.  We want to hear your thoughts on this idea, so please COMMENT on the petition!

A bridge between Cassville and Guttenberg will provide:

• a 25%-75% reduction in commute times between communities in Grant County in Wisconsin and Clayton / Dubuque counties in Iowa.
• creation of a new economic corridor that includes areas stretching from Dyersville to Lancaster, Guttenberg to Platteville, and Manchester to Fennimore.
• one-way trip cost savings of $15 to $20 per driver.
• the connection of four-lane U.S. 20 in northeast Iowa with U.S. highways 18, 61 and 151 in Wisconsin *without* having to travel through congestion in Dubuque.
• elimination of unnecessary mileage and wasted resources traveling from one side of the river to the other as electric vehicle technology becomes commonplace in the coming decades.

Other reasons include:

• Upper Mississippi River bridge crossings are found every 30-35 miles on average.
• Cassville lies in the middle of the 60-mile gap in bridges between Dubuque, IA and Prairie du Chien, WI, making for the ideal crossing location.
• Mississippi River’s width at Cassville is narrow compared with other locations.
• Cardinal-Hickory Creek electric transmission line will span the Mississippi River at Cassville, and the proposed bridge would follow the line’s right-of-way across the river’s wildlife refuge, minimizing environmental impact.
• Bridge would serve 150,000+ residents in Grant, Clayton, Dubuque, and Delaware counties.
• Acts of U.S. Congress passed in favor of bridge construction in 1928, 1939, and 1941.
• A 1968 Wisconsin highway survey recommended Cassville bridge be built in the late 1980s.
• Grant County farmers can readily ship corn and soybeans to ethanol and biodiesel plants in Dyersville and Farley.
• Iowa’s logging industry can more easily move logs to sawmills in Wisconsin.
• Serving as an alternative crossing option for unexpected bridge closures at Prairie du Chien or Dubuque, or for those who are simply looking to avoid traffic congestion in larger towns.
• Small Mississippi River towns already have bridge crossings (e.g. Lansing, IA).
• Cassville and Guttenberg, with a combined population of 3,000, can serve as a new economic and tourism hub that can capitalize on their proximity to the Mississippi River.
• Northeast Iowa students can more easily commute to post-secondary schools in Grant County such as Fennimore’s Southwest Tech and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
• Opportunities for Grant County residents to more easily find jobs in Clayton, Delaware and Dubuque counties, and northeast Iowa residents to find jobs in southwest Wisconsin.
• Providing Cassville-area residents access to Guttenberg's 24-hour emergency health care and pharmacy services within a 10-minute drive time, a 50% savings in time and mileage.
• Giving communities such as Lancaster and Dyersville the power to grow into regional economic powerhouses.
• Realizing the dream of Cassville’s longtime village leader, R.J. “Penny” Eckstein, who spent six decades promoting his vision of bringing Badger and Hawkeye communities together with construction of a bridge.

Thank you for your help!  You can track our progress on Facebook by searching @bridgecassville and following the Badger-Hawkeye Bridge Coalition.