Issue Position: St. Croix Crossing

Issue Position

Residents of Stillwater deserve a replacement for the existing, outdated lift bridge over the St. Croix River. Congresswoman McCollum has always supported a fiscally-responsible alternative that complies with federal environmental law and meets the needs of Stillwater without creating new transportation problems for other Minnesota cities. She does not support the already-rejected $700 million mega-bridge proposal because it is unnecessarily expensive, undermines wild and scenic river protections and will adversely impact communities along Highway 36 in Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District.

Congresswoman McCollum's primary responsibility is to represent the interests of residents in Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District. There has been no attention to the traffic congestion that a new interstate-style bridge in Stillwater would add to the Highway 36 corridor, including Oakdale, Maplewood, Mahtomedi, Roseville and North St. Paul. If there's enough traffic projected to justify building a bridge that costs nearly three times as much as the new Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis -- which carries over 140,000 vehicles every day -- then the communities along Highway 36 should expect to be overrun with thousands more semi-trucks, buses, and commuters. Expanding Highway 36 to accommodate an interstate-style bridge in Stillwater raises the true cost of the mega-bridge project close to a billion dollars. Today, the existing Stillwater lift bridge handles approximately 18,000 vehicles each day. In this fiscal environment it's hard to justify why a billion dollar bridge is necessary.

As discussions regarding an Interstate-style St. Croix bridge continue, Congresswoman McCollum will work with local elected leaders in the Highway 36 corridor to ensure they receive clear, timely answers to questions about the potential for negative impacts to their communities. Stay tuned to this webpage for the latest information on the Stillwater Lift Bridge debate.

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