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State Representative Alice Hausman
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3824
For more information contact: Jenny Nash 651-296-4122
GUEST COLUMN
Stillwater Lift Bridge should be replaced with a reasonably priced and properly sized alternative to the $690 million proposal By State Representatives Alice Hausman and Mindy Greiling
The Stillwater Lift Bridge over the St. Croix River clearly needs to be replaced. Built in 1931, it is dangerously out-of-date and has serious structural deficiencies. Additionally, traffic congestion in Stillwater is troublesome with mile-long traffic jams clogging downtown due to the inadequate existing crossing.
How to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge has been a subject of intense debate for decades. We believe spending up to $690 million on a grandiose four lane freeway-style bridge to connect the eastern side of the Twin Cities region to Houlton, Wisconsin (with a population of around 400) just doesn't pass the sniff test. It is particularly hard to justify since the eight lane I-94 Bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin is just six miles south. We join U.S. Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison in opposition to this proposal.
The price tag is concerning. At $690 million, the proposed bridge would be the most expensive in Minnesota history. We believe it would devour much of the available funding in Minnesota (particularly for the east Metro) to build and repair Minnesota’s long list of structurally deficient bridges; according to an analysis of federal records by the advocacy group, Transportation for America, Minnesota has 1,149 bridges deemed structurally deficient.
A $690 million bridge is disproportionate when one considers demand as well - only 18,400 vehicles travel over the existing Lift Bridge per day. By comparison, the cost for building the new I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis was $234 million and nearly 145,000 vehicles cross it daily. The Lafayette Bridge (under construction) in downtown St. Paul costs $132 million and 81,000 vehicles use it daily.
Another concern is that the St. Croix is the only river in Minnesota protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Former Vice President Walter Mondale is right when he says that a new bridge can and should comply with the letter and spirit of this law. Granting an exemption for a project of this extreme size and scope from the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, as the U.S. Senate did last week, is short-sighted and foolhardy.
Minnesota sorely lacks the necessary funding to repair all our structural deficient bridges and our local roads, highways, and regional transit systems are woefully underfunded. In addition, there has been little to no discussion about the mitigation costs to communities impacted by the large scale new bridge, particularly the new traffic that would need to be accommodated on Highway 36.
Don’t get us wrong, the Stillwater Lift Bridge needs to be replaced, but a $690 million bridge located only six miles from the I-94 Minnesota-Wisconsin crossing is excessive. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is correct to ask for a consensus bridge, one that is smaller scaled and more appropriate to meet the future transportation needs of the Stillwater area.
For the benefit of all Minnesota taxpayers, we support U.S. Reps. McCollum and Ellison in their fight to keep this proposal from advancing in the U.S. House.
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Representative Alice Hausman represents District 66B and is the former House Capital Investment Chair.
Representative Mindy Greiling represents District 54A and is the former House K-12 Education Finance Chair.
News Items
- Hausman receives 2012 Sierra Club Legislative Leadership Award - (Posted: 2012-10-19 00:00:00)
- NEWS STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF BONDING BILL - (Posted: 2012-05-07 00:00:00)
- House passes bonding bill that makes strategic investments throughout the state - (Posted: 2012-05-07 00:00:00)
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