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Politics & Government

Wisconsin Cleared to Borrow Funds for St. Croix River Crossing

The Wisconsin Building Commission has approved a resolution that gives the state's Department of Transportation the authority to borrow $225 million for the St. Croix River Crossing project.

On Wednesday, April 18, the Wisconsin Building Commission approved a resolution giving the go ahead for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to borrow $225 million to finance the St. Croix River Crossing project. 

The $225 million sum will cover most of Wisconsin's portion of the project's construction. Wisconsin portion is expected to be between $250 million and $305 million. The entire project is estimated to run between $570 million and $675 million.

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State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) issued the following statement on Wednesday afternoon:

"The new St. Croix River Crossing took another step towards reality today as the Wisconsin Building Commission authorized the financing for the new bridge.  The 2009-11 state budget provided bonding authority for the project, and the Building Commission’s action releases the funds for the Department of Transportation to move forward.  I thank the members of the Building Commission for their support and for recognizing the importance of this project that has received broad, bipartisan support at the local, state, and federal levels."

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) issued the following press release on Wednesday afternoon:

Madison–Today, the State of Wisconsin Building Commission approved a resolution granting the Wisconsin State Department of Transportation authority to finance the St. Croix Interstate Bridge project.  This project will build a bridge on a major interstate between the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The building commission also approved several other key projects, including:

  • Approval of the Design Report and Authority to construct a kitchen renovation project at Waupun Correctional Institution;
  • Approval of the Design Report and Authority to construct the All-Seasons Softball Practice Facility at UW-Madison;
  • Approval of the Design Report and Authority to construct Phase 3 of the Student Athlete Performance Center at UW-Madison;
  • Approval to undertake various classroom renovations and instructional technology improvements at UW-System campuses, including: UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-La Crosse, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and UW-Superior.

The Building Commission is chaired by Governor Walker and includes the following members:

  • State Representative Dean Kaufert, Vice Chair
  • State Senator Robert Cowles
  • State Senator Dale Schultz
  • State Senator Fred Risser
  • State Representative Joan Ballweg
  • State Representative Gordon Hintz
  • Citizen member Bob Brandherm
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