Driving through this Iowa trestle bridge is like traveling into an alternate dimension

Updated Feb 5, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-02-01 at 6.00.14 PM

Check out this incredible trestle bridge in Iowa. It’s part of the 25-mile High Trestle Trail in Madrid, which opened in 2011.

It’s 13-stories high and nearly a half-mile long with gorgeous views of the Des Moines River Valley. However, nothing may be as gorgeous to look at than the bridge itself. 

Screen Shot 2015-02-01 at 6.00.44 PM

The High Trestle Trail Bridge was originally built in the 1970s as a railroad bridge, but it has undergone quite the transformation in recent years.  The bridge decking incorporates a decorative structure that represents the view through a mine shaft, to honor Italian immigrants who worked in nearby mines.

The bridge’s mesmerizing design includes decorative lighting that remains on until midnight every day.

Screen Shot 2015-02-01 at 6.00.27 PM

Would you like to see a certain bridge or highway featured in the Better Roads section? Email [email protected].