InvestigationSeptember 16, 2026
PRTC 1985 Wisconsin Preservation Grant Faces Decades of Transition
In 1985, the Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission received $444,071.00 from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for Phase II Rehabilitation. Subsequent public records show the line later transitioned to recreational trail use with provisions for future rail restoration.
Source award
Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission — $444,071 from WI-FRPP, FY1985.
Sources (2)
- https://themonroetimes.com/local-news/break-in-the-trail-ahead-for-atv-riders/
“When the railroad gave up the line from Monroe to Mineral Point, which became the Cheese Country Trail, in the late 1980s it was with the understanding it would get the trail back if it ever expanded rail service.”
- https://www.swwrpc.org/documents-publications/rail-transit-commissions/pecatonica-rail-transit
“The Pecatonica Rail Transit Commission oversees rail issues in Green and Rock counties and trail matters in Iowa, Green, and Lafayette counties.”
Included free
Read the full investigation.
Subscribe to the free newsletter and you'll get this and every future investigation in full.
Subscribe — free