FERRYVILLE, Wis. – Business owners, community leaders and commuters from both sides of the Mississippi River gathered in Ferryville on Monday, March 18 to figure out a plan to get through the next two months with no bridge connecting Wisconsin and Iowa. Heading into peak tourism season, businesses on both sides of the river are already feeling the impact of the closure, and workers are as well.
Hardie said he has received feedback from businesses that it has been several years of events have impacted businesses along the river, not just this incident. Several people pointed out there has been flooding, a train derailment (that caused a road closure for over a week) and the Highway 35 construction last year.
“So it has been several years that have had an impact, not just the bridge,” said Hardie.
The Lansing Bridge, also known as the Black Hawk Bridge, was closed to traffic on Sunday, Feb. 25, when sensors on the bridge detected unusual movement. Those sensors were placed on the bridge because the Wisconsin and Iowa DOT had just started a project to build a new bridge right next to the existing bridge. Engineers have determined the construction activity around the pilings at the base of the bridge likely caused the movement in the old bridge, and it will take about two months to stabilize the structure.
You can read about the bridge closure and the construction project in our previous story here.
The meeting in Ferryville was coordinated by the economic development organization 7 Rivers Alliance. CEO Chris Hardie said they decided to step in when they heard from businesses that they were immediately feeling the impact of the bridge closure.
“The businesses on the Iowa side were getting hammered,” said Hardie. “The businesses on the Wisconsin side were getting hammered. It became apparent how important this transportation lifeblood is for both sides of the river.”
Hardie said the closure was unexpected and unplanned and was having the impact of a natural disaster, like a tornado or a flood.
Hardie said the impact to businesses on the Iowa side is more direct to Lansing whose business district is concentrated right at the foot of the bridge, whereas the impact on the Wisconsin side more spread out. Those in attendance were quick to point out how much impact the closure is having. Someone with Porks Hilltop Tavern in De Soto said business is down about 50 percent. The owner of Lansing Hardware said their business is down about 60 percent.
Gloria Moore, a trustee with the Village of Ferryville asked if there was some way to compensate businesses for the lost revenue. Hardie said that was part of the reason to hold the meeting, to get feedback and ideas on how to help. Hardie said if there was one good thing that came out of COVID it was the skills to know how to calculate the loss to businesses. Hardie said there may be some way to compensate businesses for losses but he did not have an immediate answer. State Representative Loren Oldenburg said he has been in communication with Wisconsin Secretary of Transportation Thompson, and Emergency Management officials, but so far they have not identified a way to directly compensate businesses.
Governor Kim Reynolds in Iowa issued a Disaster Declaration and that freed up federal funds to be able to provide assistance, which includes a a water taxi service that started on Monday. The service is free and paid for by the Iowa DOT. Some people at the meeting said they knew people who had used the service on it’s first day and it went smoothly.
Hardie said many option were explored, but the water taxi with bus service was the best and quickest solution that everyone came up with for now. Hardie said there were even discussions with the car ferry in Cassville, Wis. about providing similar service at Lansing, but the logistics just did not work out. Some in attendance did ask for more hours and more bus stops, and Hardie said they can look at options, but the ferry itself is somewhat limited because of all the licensing approvals needed to established what was there now.
The water taxi will travel between the Lansing Marina and Big Slough Landing and will be available seven days a week on the following schedule.
- 7 to 10 a.m.
- 11 to 1 p.m.
- 3 to 6 p.m.
A one-way trip is estimated to take about 30 minutes. All riders will be required to get off the water taxi at each stop.
On the Iowa side, parking and a shuttle is available at the Lansing City Hall and Middle/Kee High School in Lansing.
Lansing City Hall
201 John Street
Lansing, IA 52151
Middle/Kee High School
269 Center Street
Lansing, IA 52151
Travelers on the Wisconsin side will need to park at the DeSoto Community Center and take a shuttle to the water taxi. Parking is not allowed at Big Slough Landing.
De Soto Community Center
57 Crawford Street
De Soto, WI 54624
For more information on the bridge replacement project you can go the Iowa and Wisconsin DOT wesbite.
Some who attended the meeting said they knew of a number of people, including the postmaster in Lansing, who live on one side of the river and work on the other who are using their personal boat to get back and forth to work. One person mentioned a school employee on the Wisconsin side who parks their truck and trailer on the Wisconsin side but uses their boat to get to work each day.
Representatives from Wisconsin DOT said they had applied for federal funds as well but were denied because Iowa had already applied. The construction of the new bridge is being administered by the Iowa DOT and Wisconsin is assisting. They said the new bridge is expected to be completed by late fall of 2026.
For more information on the taxi service or the bridge project, including a live cam of the construction site, you can go to the Iowa DOT page here.
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