Bridges of Madison County to get high-tech scan from Wis. businesses

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some of Madison County’s famed covered bridges in Iowa are getting a high-tech laser scan to create a historical document that can be used to rebuild them if they are destroyed.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory in Madison is leading the project, which includes a bridge in Cedarburg, Wis., and one in Zumbrota, Minn.

The Iowa bridges became famous after the release of the best-selling book “The Bridges of Madison County,” which Clint Eastwood turned into a hit movie in 1995. An arson fire destroyed the Cedar Bridge in 2002.

Four of Madison County’s six covered bridges will be scanned next week.

SightLine, a Milwaukee-based company, is doing the scanning. The images will be used to create 2-D and 3-D drawings and video files.