Case Study 8
Stillwater Bridge

Marlena Shudy, Derek Newbauer, Charla Rae Heutinck , David Kmiec

Stillwater is... a town of 16,000 residents historic home of the 1848 territorial convention a former lumber town turned exurb on the St. Croix river on the MN border with WI
(maps from maps.google.com)
		Stillwater is... within the metro area 9 miles east of I-694 22 miles from downtown St.Paul (via I-694/94) 27 miles from downtown Minneapolis (via MN-36/I-35W)

Information about the bridge and St. Croix crossing

project information

This is a document by the US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution that includes information regarding Minnesota and Wisconsin’s involvement with the Stillwater Bridge. Read the introduction and pages 17-28 for an overview of the Stillwater bridge project, historical background, and the options for the bridge. http://www.ecr.gov/pdf/Stillwtr.pdf

This is Mn/DOT’s official web page for the construction of the lift bridge. One can click on the various links to read information regarding the lift bridge. This website has links to photos, financial issues, repairs needed, and other details pertaining the Stillwater Bridge. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/liftbridge/

These are the DOT identified goals of the St. Croix river crossing. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/benefits.html

2003 Amended Draft Scoping Decision Document for the St. Croix River Crossing Project - November 2003. (Check out the sketches linked.)
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/docs/scoping-dec-doc1.html

site's historical significance

Minnesota Historical Society has a description of the historical significance of the bridge. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find links. Please open the links ‘Description’, and ‘Historic Significance’ to obtain a historical knowledge of the bridge. http://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/bridges/nrwasb/nrwasti.html

popular & environmental impact

Below is a link to an article by the Star Tribune. This article talks about the reopening of the bridge from a summer of construction. http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5720506.html

An article from the Star Tribune interviewing residents about the closure. http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5709751.html

This gives the view of the bridge from a neighborhood perspective (the neighbors that don’t want it). http://www.stillwatergazette.com/articles/2005/11/08/news/news01.txt

A solution to the problem was approved two years ago by the National Park Service that would have been backed by federal dollars. Unfortunately, it did not go through because of the reasons listed in the closing statements. http://www.embraceopenspace.org/news/news_detail.aspx?itemID=2214&catID=89&typeID=2

This gives a basic overview of the problem and 2 differing solutions to it, one of the Sierra Club and one of John Soderberg, a western Wisconsin banker who heads a group of new bridge supporters. http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2003/07/21_olsond_stillwaterbridge/

state economic considerations

This document is a cost-benefit analysis of the options under consideration. It isn’t necessary to read the whole document in detail, just skim over some of the figures and you will get a general feeling for each options cost-benefit. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/pdfs/sdeiscom/Technical%20Memoranda/Benefit%20Cost%20Analysis.pdf

This site, declaring the building of a new bridge one of the 27 most wasteful road projects in America, presents some negative views from a taxpayers perspective. http://www.taxpayer.net/road2ruin/roads/stillwaterbridge.htm

Questions

• Which decision making factors impact the project most? Who is disenfranchised by this prioritization? In your answer, consider each of the following invested parties:
  • Minnesota Department of Transportation
  • Wisconsin Department of Transportation
  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
  • Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office
  • City of Stillwater
  • City of Oak Park Heights
  • National Park Service
  • Federal Highway Administration
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Coast Guard
  • U.S. EPA
  • Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
  • Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission
  • St. Croix River Association
  • Friends of the St. Croix
  • Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Sierra Club
  • St. Croix Alliance for an Interstate Bridge
  • Stillwater Lift Bridge Association
  • Board of Realtors
  • Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Town of St. Joseph
  • New St. Croix Bridge Coalition
• How will build decision affect the WI side of the St. Croix?
• How should the I-94 bridge (8 miles downriver) impact decision making?
• Which alternative would you choose for the project?