The population in Cassville is decreasing more and more every year. In 2010, Cassville’s population was 923; now in 2021 it is 869. In the last 11 years it has had a 8.24% drop.
One reason Cassville is shrinking is because you have to drive so far to get to another town. There are not many jobs within that town. This causes an economic decline, causing people to move out. This is no good because the more people move out of town, the more jobs disappear from not having enough income or employees.
A major reason why Cassville’s population is lower is because in 2015 they took down two power plants supplying over a hundred jobs for the people in Cassville. This wouldn't be so bad if it was a big city, but a hundred people is about one eighth of the population, which is a pretty big chunk. It was also half of a million dollars a year off of the town's payroll. The plant was shut down was due to global warming, and construction for it was becoming too expensive.
It's not like they haven't been working on a solution though. For roughly 90 years Cassville has wanted a bridge built from their side to the Iowa side of the Mississippi river. The timing has always been bad for them to build a bridge. It is possible now due to President Biden signing a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that sparked hope for the people of Cassville. The bridge's estimated cost was $175 million.
The Badger-Hawkeye Bridge Coalition is taking this one step further. They have an online petition for the bridge already set up. They are also working with engineering students at UW Platteville to design what the bridge would look like. No one seems to be opposed to the idea, but some people are skeptical about whether it will ever be built, mainly because it has taken nine decades to get to this point. One resident who wished to be anonymous called it a “bridge to nowhere”, meaning that the bridge is all talk and will probably never be built.
If the bridge were built, it would have a very positive impact on the town because It would help truckers and farmers move goods more easily. It would help the people of Cassville to find new jobs. It would help the people of Cassville travel to other states and highways faster. It would help the population because more people would be coming into Cassville, and stores and restaurants would not be such a far drive away.
There are some negatives; if the bridge is built the ferry would become obsolete, and many people really enjoy the Cassville Ferry. If the bridge is put in, I think the ferry should stay to support tourism on the river. Also, if the bridge is built, the town may get so busy that people may end up missing the peace and quiet they all had from before the bridge was built.
There are potential benefits and drawbacks to any project, but it remains to be seen if this bridge will become reality.