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State Representative Matt Dean
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
NEWS RELEASE
State Rep. Dean Reacts to St. Croix Bridge Decision
St. Paul—On Thursday a federal judge issued a decision blocking a proposed bridge on the St. Croix River connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin near Stillwater. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2013. Representative Matt Dean (R-Dellwood, Stillwater) feels this ongoing struggle is having a negative economic impact on the community.
“This is another painful reminder of why we need reform in Minnesota to cut red tape and end judicial activism, and environmental extremism” said Dean. “It is killing jobs, polluting Stillwater with traffic and exhaust and costing us dearly.”
The proposed bridge has been in the works for decades to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge which is more than 80 years old. The current bridge can no longer adequately handle the traffic demands, and little can be done to make the obsolete bridge safer. The delays on the bridge’s construction are causing the price tag to increase tens of millions of dollars each year. The Sierra Club has been the bridge’s main opponent.
Last year, Dean authored and passed a bill aimed at extending the life of the historic bridge and increasing safety by barring large semi tractor-trailer combinations. "That was the right thing to do and it has helped." Dean said. "But there is not a lot more we can do to keep the old bridge working and safe until we replace it, and that worries a lot of folks."
“Ever year it costs us more,” said Dean. “We shake our heads at the irresponsible actions of the Sierra Club and their 15 years of lawsuits and obstruction.”
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