The St. Croix Crossing is an

extradosed bridge An extradosed bridge employs a structure that combines the main elements of both a prestressed box girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the word ''extrados'', the exterior or upper curve of an arch, and refers to how the "s ...

that spans the St. Croix River, between

Oak Park Heights, Minnesota Oak Park Heights is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,849 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Formerly called simply Oak Park, the city was platted in 18 ...

and

St. Joseph, Wisconsin St. Joseph is a town in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,842 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Burkhardt, Wisconsin, Burkhardt, and Houlton, Wisconsin, Houlton are lo ...

. Connecting

Minnesota State Highway 36 Minnesota State Highway 36 (MN 36) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (near Stillwater), where it becomes Wis ...

and Wisconsin State Highway 64, the bridge carries four lanes of traffic (two lanes in each direction), and includes a bike/pedestrian path on the north side.

History

MnDOT The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state' ...

WisDOT The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the :State highways in Wisconsin, state's highways. It is also responsible for plannin ...

, and the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

were seeking a replacement for the nearly 90 year old Stillwater Bridge, which was frequently congested, inadequate for modern traffic, and was deteriorating from its age. The St. Croix River Crossing Project called for the construction of a new four-lane bridge less than a mile downriver, followed by the conversion of the Stillwater Bridge to pedestrian and bicycle use. Originally, construction of this bridge was planned to start in 2024, but legislation was passed requiring the Department of Transportation to address aging bridges by 2018, and the start date was moved up to 2013. However, on March 11, 2010, a federal judge ruled that the government had violated its rules in approving the bridge design, which sent the process back to an earlier stage. Because the bridge traverses the

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a federally protected system of riverways located in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It protects of river, including the St. Croix River (on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border), and the Na ...

, construction could only proceed following federal legislation which granted an exemption to the

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

. The extradosed bridge design results in less piers compared to a box girder bridge, improving maritime navigation and reducing environmental impact. While compared to a traditional cable-stayed bridge, tower height is lower and thus does not overwhelming the scenery of the Saint Croix riverway. Construction on the bridge began with the piers in 2014. The bridge was opened to vehicle traffic following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 2, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Croix Crossing Extradosed bridges Extradosed bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 2017 Buildings and structures in St. Croix County, Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Washington County, Minnesota Road bridges in Minnesota Road bridges in Wisconsin Transportation in St. Croix County, Wisconsin Transportation in Washington County, Minnesota Bridges over the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)

History

See also

References