High Trestle Bridge

This bridge is part of the 25-mile High Trestle Trail in Madrid, Iowa, which opened in 2011. The whole trail runs from Ankeny to Woodward, Iowa. The trail follows along the old Union Pacific Railroad freight line route. After securing funding for the paved trail in 2003, construction begain in 2005 and the trail was completed in 2008.  The bridge was completed in 2011: "The last portion to be completed was the trestle bridge from which the trail derives its name. A $1.75 million grant from Vision Iowa, a project of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, funded the construction of a new bridge deck designed by RDG Dahlquist Art Studios and structural engineering firm Shuck-Briston."  High Trestle Bridge, though originally built as a railroad bridge in the 1970s, has undergone a significant facelift in the past five years. It spans the Des Moines River, and is crossed by about 3,000 people every week. It's a 13-story high, half mile bridge that is meant to resemble a mine shaft, in honor of the Italian immigrants who worked in the nearby mines. Every night it's illuminated until midnight. - Roadtrippers