Dane County Begins Design of Final Segment of Trail Spanning Dodgeville to Waukesha

June 07, 2017
Josh Wescott 608-266-9069

DANE COUNTY AUTHORIZES CONTRACT TO DESIGN GLACIAL DRUMLIN TRAIL CONNECTION BETWEEN MADISON, COTTAGE GROVE

 

Today, County Executive Joe Parisi authorized a contract between Dane County, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and CORRE, Inc. to design a five-mile connection between the Village of Cottage Grove and the City of Madison on the Glacial Drumlin Trail.

 

The continuous off-road trail currently spans from the Fox River Sanctuary in Waukesha all the way to Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville. The additional segment from the CTH N State parking lot in Cottage Grove to the eastern right of way on I-39 near a railroad overpass in Madison would allow more Dane County residents to access Glacial Drumlin Trail. In fact, the new segment is projected to welcome anywhere between 250,000 to 300,000 riders a year.

 

The three-party design engineering services contract with CORRE, Inc., a structural engineering firm based in Madison, totals $368,681.45 and was approved by the Dane County Board of Supervisors after the county solicited proposals for preparation of the trail’s preliminary design, environmental studies, design study report, and final plan, specification and estimate in February. The County Executive’s contract authorization is the latest step Dane County has taken to advance the final stretch of the Glacial Drumlin Trail.

 

This past fall, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, and Wisconsin Bike Federation Executive Director Dave Cieslewicz announced plans to complete the Glacial Drumlin Trail expansion. County Executive Parisi further committed to the trail’s development when he included $130,000 in his 2017 budget and allocated additional funds to secure a park planner position responsible for managing the project.

 

Previously, Dane County signed a Project Agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for $215,977 through the High Priority Projects Program to complete the design and engineering for the Glacial Drumlin Trail connection. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources finalized acquisition of lands needed for the trail and contributed $60,000 for the project design.

 

Anticipated features for the new section of trail include grade crushed limestone or asphalt pavement, boardwalk, culverts, bridges, and on-road facilities. Construction on the trail is expected to begin in 2019.