Bridging Minnesota & Wisconsin

St. Croix Crossing – a shared project between Minnesota and Wisconsin DOTs has been one of the more high profiled ones and maybe its $580 to $646 million price tag has a little something to do with it. 

Once completed, the bridge will provide a connection between the two states replacing the 80-year-old Stillwater Lift Bridge (Hwy 36). The current Lift Bridge, connects the two states and goes through the historic Stillwater downtown, often causing traffic congestion and gridlock and has for some time been deemed “structurally deficient”. It is expected that the old Lift Bridge will in the future solely serve the purpose of non-morotized transportation and will carry bicycle and pedestrian traffic as part of the Loop Trail system, while the new bridge will also provide pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Some of the benefits of the new bridge are described to provide:

• Safer, more reliable river crossing;
  
• Improved traffic safety while easing traffic congestion in the St. Croix Valley;
  
• Job support and help for interstate commerce.
  

As a state employee, I was fortunate to attend a leisurely cruise tour of the incredible construction site. Following are pictures from the tour showing the constructed piers, which will one day hold the main deck of the bridge. The St. Croix Crossing Bridge itself is slated to open in fall of 2016 and will be 3450 feet in length.

Images by author, unless otherwise specified. Data linked to sources.