Tuesday, May 14, 2013
A weekly update on the St. Croix River Crossing Project.
Work on the St. Croix River Crossing Project continues into the third week of May, with 59th Street North—between Stagecoach Trail and Highway 95—permanently closing on today (May 13). According to a project update from MnDOT, crews this week will continue to build a construction staging area for the bridge foundations on the Minnesota banks of the river and do survey work on the shoulders of Highway 36 and Highway 95. Below is MnDOT’s weekly update on the project: The Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation invite the public to the following St. Croix Crossing open houses: Wisconsin Open Houses During these open houses, MnDOT staff will be available to explain the project, answer questions and listen to concerns from area …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A quick look at the top headlines from last week around the Twin Cities east metro area and Hudson.
Below is a collection of stories from east metro Twin Cities Patch sites Thousands to Descend on Woodbury for Lions Club Garage Sale Every sale has something a little offbeat. What’s the oddest item that will be featured at your sale this week? Tell us in the comments section. Osaka Now Open at Woodbury Lakes The Japanese restaurant features a sushi bar and a dozen hibachi tables. Dana’s Closes, The Woods Coming to Woodbury The new store is expected to open this summer. Snapshot: What’s With the Big ‘X’ Along Highway 5 in Oakdale? There are about 100 signs posted in the area as part of Washington County’s aerial survey project. Work Underway at New Oakdale Caribou Coffee The new coffee shop is expected to open this fall. Minnesota Health …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
A federal judge denied C.S. McCrossan’s request to stop roadwork of the St. Croix River Crossing while the courts determine whether or not MnDOT illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million project.
A federal judge denied C.S. McCrossan’s request to stop roadwork of the St. Croix River Crossing while the courts determine whether or not MnDOT illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million project. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle put the federal case on hold until a separate lawsuit in the Minnesota Court of Appeals is resolved. “Of course, we’re extremely disappointed with the decision,” Tom McCrossan, president of the Maple Grove-based company, told the Star Tribune. “The reason we’re pursuing this is solely to prevent the wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money.” Last month, McCrossan alleged that MnDOT improperly awarded a bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million river crossing …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Dead zebra mussels have been discovered on multiple construction barges that were set to do construction work on the new St. Croix River Crossing. Work has been halted for now.
Dead zebra mussels have been found on six of eight barges owned by a St. Croix River Crossing construction contractor, according to a Pioneer Press article by Dave Orrick. The mussels were discovered before any of the vessels entered the river, and work has been halted nonetheless. From the Pioneer Press article: The St. Croix is technically classified as contaminated with zebra mussels south of Taylors Falls, but its populations have plummeted to near zero in many areas. In announcing those findings in March, National Park Service officials spoke of the river getting a rare second chance -- but they cautioned that the construction project was potentially a new avenue for the invasive mollusks to re-establish themselves. READ THE PIONEER …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The current work includes building dock walls to support equipment access for construction of bridge foundations and installing steel sheet panels to provide docking facilities for barges.
Work on the St. Croix Crossing has begun, MnDOT announced Monday, with crews building a construction staging area on the Minnesota banks of the St. Croix River. The current work includes: Work scheduled for early May: Noticeably missing from MnDOT’s list of current work, and work scheduled for early May, is the road work on Highway 36. Last week, C.S. McCrossan filed a federal lawsuit against the MnDOT alleging that the department and its commissioner illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the St. Croix River Crossing. The federal lawsuit alleges that MnDOT improperly applied federal rules with respect to hiring disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). C.S. McCrossan is seeking an “immediate injunction to halt …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
On March 14, 2012, one of the longest unfinished bridge projects in the history of the United States began to come to a close, when President Obama signed the St. Croix River Crossing Project legislation.
It was one year ago Thursday when President Barack Obama signed legislation into law exempting the St. Croix River Crossing Project from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. His signature allowed plans for constructing the St. Croix River Crossing to move forward. Check out this photo Micheal Foley took of a crew drilling along 35 and taking samples for construction of the new river crossing. Sixth District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann released the following statement today: “One year ago, one of the longest unfinished bridge projects in the history of the United States began to come to a close, when President Obama signed the St. Croix River Crossing Project legislation. A major victory for Minnesota, the new four-lane bridge will increase …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Both authorizations were required due to the construction involving work within the St. Croix River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued the Minnesota Department of Transportation the permits needed to complete construction of the new St. Croix River Crossing. The Corps’ permit includes two authorizations under the Rivers and Harbors Act’s Section 10 and the Clean Water Act’s Section 404. Both authorizations were required due to the construction involving work within the St. Croix River. Now that the application has been approved, MnDOT can start the bid-letting process for construction work. The permits authorize MnDOT to construct: The permit also authorizes MnDOT to remove an unused barge unloader facility from the Allen S. King Plant—and redistribute aggregate fill from within the facility cells on the river bottom. RELATED: …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
“I think this is a crazy proposal,” Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) said. “I will not be voting for any kind of toll road or toll bridge between the great states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.”
In an attempt to find new ways to fund roads and transit in Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports that DFL leaders want to explore the idea of placing tolls on the yet-to-be-built St. Croix River Crossing. According to the “Innovative Financing Study” prepared for MnDOT in 2011, using tolls on the St. Croix River Crossing could pay for nearly half of its capital costs, as well as all of its ongoing operations and maintenance costs. "It's a potentially important source of revenue," Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Mpls.), chairman of the House transportation finance committee told the Star Tribune. Gov. Mark Dayton's transportation commissioner reportedly told the Star Tribune that he’s open to the idea and thinks it “needs to be explored.” "Tolling …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Work on the project—building highways and bridge approaches on the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the St. Croix River—will include rebuilding frontage roads on both sides of Highway 36 in Oak Park Heights and Stillwater.
Roadwork for the St. Croix River Crossing Project will begin in April, according to MnDOT’s Project Manager Jon Chiglo. Work on the project—building highways and bridge approaches on the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the St. Croix River—will include rebuilding frontage roads on both sides of Highway 36 in Oak Park Heights and Stillwater, Chiglo told the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. Construction on that portion of the project is expected to be complete in fall of 2014. RELATED: What's on Tap for the St. Croix River Crossing Project in 2013 The highways will always have one lane open in each direction during construction, Chiglo said. There will be 12 days of road closure to Osgood and Greeley/Oak Green at Highway …
Monday, January 21, 2013
“While we remain optimistic construction can begin, opposition still hopes for delays, as in the past when we have repeatedly seen efforts to replace the old lift bridge get stopped at the last minute,” a letter from Coalition Co-Chair Ken Harycki reads.
The Oak Park City Council tabled a request from the Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing to contribute $3,000 out of city funds to “help keep the (bridge) project on schedule.” There are a few different options to fund the request, if the council so chooses, City Administrator Eric Johnson said. "I just don't want to go down the path Stillwater did that got them into trouble a while back," Council Member Mark Swenson said. "I would like staff and legal to look at it and give us an official recommendation. I support this, but I would like them to tell me we have the authority to support it." The council will take up the request later this month. UPDATED FROM: The Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing on Tuesday will ask the Oak …
StillH2oKev
9:09 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Just build the damn bridge we've waited to long more ›