Wis., Minn. brief public on new St. Croix bridge

No new bridge, patch up old one. back up a mile from both sides and dig a tunnel underneath it all.

Will the Sierra Club be at the meetings?

Mr R wrote:

Will the Sierra Club be at the meetings?

Yeah. Just look for the homeless-looking people in the corner who smell like pee. They will also probably have poorly spelled signs, extolling the harm that will come to the spiny water flea if the bridge gets built. Finally, after the meeting you will see them getting into their 1987 Corolla with Wellstone stickers all over it.

Build the dang thing already! The long lines on both sides of the current lift bridge cause more environmental harm than a new bridge would!

Real Solution wrote:

No new bridge, patch up old one. back up a mile from both sides and dig a tunnel underneath it all.

Yeah, "Real Solution" put you and the rest of your ilk in the tunnel, seal the ends and you and the spiny flea can get up close and personal.

This project should have been completed so long ago that it should have been the first bridge in Minnesota to fall down. As it is, the current steel lift bridge will be dilapidated and closed for years before anyone agrees to build a bridge that is modern and functional in current society. Then by the time they finish the new bridge, it will be obsolete and the process will start all over for the next 100 years.

This bridge needs to go up asap! The current bridge is a danger to anyone who crosses it. They constantly do repairs to the bridge to keep it safe. At least once a summer I watch a big truck hit the bridge or I watch the bridge break down for a few hours. It's ridiculous to think that it is safe for more than 10,000 cars per day to pass over that bridge. Not to mention the traffic in town. Being a downtown business manager I know how much the traffic affects tourism. When they closed the bridge for a few weeks a couple years ago, we had never been busier. The commute to Stillwater was so much nicer for people. No waiting in long lines for the bridge to go up and down. The bridge goes up 1 time per hour. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the bridge to go up and the boats to pass and the bridge to go back down. This is a BIG problem during rush hour. Build the new bridge already.

Make WI taxpayers pay for the bridge - they use it.

The Sierra Club just needs to wise up and agree to it being constructed, but only by the same firm that's taken years to build the Wakota bridge over the Mississippi. This would be much cheaper than a legal challenge, and they wouldn't have to worry about a new bridge opening for at least 50 years.

Casual Observer wrote:

The Sierra Club just needs to wise up and agree to it being constructed, but only by the same firm that's taken years to build the Wakota bridge over the Mississippi. This would be much cheaper than a legal challenge, and they wouldn't have to worry about a new bridge opening for at least 50 years.

I drive over the Wakota bridge frequently. I always loo at the elevation and wonder if they will come withing a foot when they pour the last decking. Lat time when they tried to finish the westbound side, they were off about 10-12 inches!

They've been trying to get this bridge done since the 1960s. Why rush it? Take your time and see if it will affect any sand flees or purple eyed tadpoles. What the heck - another 50 years won't make that much difference other than the cost - which will be a little more than Obama gave away yesterday to his latest daily stimulus program.