If you want a list of the most controversial political issues in the Twin Cities these days, two that are near the top are the Vikings stadium and the proposal to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The controversy cuts across partisan lines, with Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, and Michele Bachmann on the side supporting a new bridge, and Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison against it. 30 state legislators have signed a letter opposing the bridge. Environmental groups are largely against the bridge, as the St. Croix River has protected status under federal law. The Department of the Interior would have to exempt the bridge from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, something that they are apparently unwilling to do.
What’s the right thing to do? I think that protecting the river’s natural look is important. So when I take a look at the proposed bridge, I can’t help but notice how ugly it is (image from MnDOT’s project page):
Look at all those piers in the water! At least five, by my count. That would seriously mar the beauty of the river, in my opinion. No, a bridge over the mighty St. Croix needs to be as sleek and as unobtrusive as the river itself, and to me, that means no piers in the water. And that means a suspension bridge that throws the bridge from one bank to the other without blocking the river at all.
According to Google Earth, the shore-to-shore distance at that site is about 3,000 feet. That is approximately the length of the new, eastbound span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. That project cost about $800 million when it started nine years ago, so I’d assume that it would cost upwards of a billion dollars if a similar project were built here. Notice that the Tacoma Narrows bridge is also tolled; there is no plan to toll the new bridge in Stillwater.
I’m fairly certain we could find better ways to spend a billion dollars on, especially if the new bridge won’t be tolled. The current plan, although cheaper, is definitely a non-starter for me.