MONROE - Putting in hand rails up to an old railroad bridge crossing 8th Street on the Badger State Trail in Monroe is a project "on the fast track," according to Green County property supervisor Steve Johnston.
Johnston is hoping the rails will be up by the end of July. They will prevent a tumble from the steep edge of the trail onto Eighth Street below.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) closed an area of the trail up to and including the bridge two days before Memorial Day, as a safety consideration.
But hikers and bicyclists found the DNR provided no detour around the bridge.
"Anywhere we don't patrol and maintain, we don't tell them to go there," Johnston said.
Some bicyclists and hikers have been using the bridge at their own risk, disregarding posted notices and even moving the barricades aside to clear passage across the bridge.
Other trail users go around the bridge, which requires them to trespass onto private property, or actually to use a beaten path down the steep bank onto Eighth Street.
DNR Rangers are not issuing tickets for those who cross the bridge, but do give verbal warnings.
Crossing the bridge is not anything of consequence; "it's just a concern," Johnston said.
"We know some people go up 9th Street behind Blue Ox and cut back by Mr. Ink to get back onto the trail," he said.
Though that route crosses private property, Johnston believes it hasn't caused problems.
"Some property owners have given permission for ATVs and snowmobiles to use that route," he said.
Alderman Jan Lefevre, who works at Mr. Ink, said she has not seen a lot of people cutting though the parking lots, but she has been asked by people if the bridge was safe to cross.
"There is a little foot path, you can see on the northwest end going down (to Eighth Street); I think kids take their bikes down there. I even used it once to go to Brennan's. But I think that's what they're (DNR) afraid of," she said.
Johnston said they didn't like to send people out onto Eighth Street because of the heavy traffic in that area.
DNR Rangers are not keeping track of the numbers of people seen or warned about using the bridge. Rangers have seen people crossing the bridge, with no chance to warn them before they are gone, Johnston said.
"More people are using the bridge contrary to the posted notice, rather than going around," he said.
Johnston said one trail user asked a ranger for permission to use the bridge. When the ranger said he couldn't give permission, she asked him what would happen if she went across. "I'd be very disappointed," he told her.
Starting in 2006, when DNR took control of the Badger State Trail, "we wanted to put in hand rails," Johnston said.
But at the same time, the City of Monroe was planning to redo Eighth Street, and DNR decided the hand rail would not be needed.
However, for the past two years funding for the Eighth Street reconstruction project has not come through for several reasons, including historical building preservation and lack of state grant funding.
DNR kept postponing installation of the handrails, because they were being told "any day now" Monroe would have the funds to start the project, Johnston said. The street project continues to be postponed, with no firm start date in sight.
Now the bridge is closed for safety and maintenance considerations.
Johnston said he wouldn't think DNR would be liable for any accidents if people disregarded the posted notice and crossed the bridge, or were hurt off the trail while going around.
But "anybody will sue anybody for anything," he said.
- Times photographer Brenda Steurer contributed to this story.
Johnston is hoping the rails will be up by the end of July. They will prevent a tumble from the steep edge of the trail onto Eighth Street below.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) closed an area of the trail up to and including the bridge two days before Memorial Day, as a safety consideration.
But hikers and bicyclists found the DNR provided no detour around the bridge.
"Anywhere we don't patrol and maintain, we don't tell them to go there," Johnston said.
Some bicyclists and hikers have been using the bridge at their own risk, disregarding posted notices and even moving the barricades aside to clear passage across the bridge.
Other trail users go around the bridge, which requires them to trespass onto private property, or actually to use a beaten path down the steep bank onto Eighth Street.
DNR Rangers are not issuing tickets for those who cross the bridge, but do give verbal warnings.
Crossing the bridge is not anything of consequence; "it's just a concern," Johnston said.
"We know some people go up 9th Street behind Blue Ox and cut back by Mr. Ink to get back onto the trail," he said.
Though that route crosses private property, Johnston believes it hasn't caused problems.
"Some property owners have given permission for ATVs and snowmobiles to use that route," he said.
Alderman Jan Lefevre, who works at Mr. Ink, said she has not seen a lot of people cutting though the parking lots, but she has been asked by people if the bridge was safe to cross.
"There is a little foot path, you can see on the northwest end going down (to Eighth Street); I think kids take their bikes down there. I even used it once to go to Brennan's. But I think that's what they're (DNR) afraid of," she said.
Johnston said they didn't like to send people out onto Eighth Street because of the heavy traffic in that area.
DNR Rangers are not keeping track of the numbers of people seen or warned about using the bridge. Rangers have seen people crossing the bridge, with no chance to warn them before they are gone, Johnston said.
"More people are using the bridge contrary to the posted notice, rather than going around," he said.
Johnston said one trail user asked a ranger for permission to use the bridge. When the ranger said he couldn't give permission, she asked him what would happen if she went across. "I'd be very disappointed," he told her.
Starting in 2006, when DNR took control of the Badger State Trail, "we wanted to put in hand rails," Johnston said.
But at the same time, the City of Monroe was planning to redo Eighth Street, and DNR decided the hand rail would not be needed.
However, for the past two years funding for the Eighth Street reconstruction project has not come through for several reasons, including historical building preservation and lack of state grant funding.
DNR kept postponing installation of the handrails, because they were being told "any day now" Monroe would have the funds to start the project, Johnston said. The street project continues to be postponed, with no firm start date in sight.
Now the bridge is closed for safety and maintenance considerations.
Johnston said he wouldn't think DNR would be liable for any accidents if people disregarded the posted notice and crossed the bridge, or were hurt off the trail while going around.
But "anybody will sue anybody for anything," he said.
- Times photographer Brenda Steurer contributed to this story.