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In honor of the one year anniversary of the grand
opening of the St. Croix River Crossing on Aug. 2, 2017, we’d like to share the
following article courtesy of Bill Rubin, Executive Director of the St. Croix
Economic Development Corporation.
Worth the Wait: River Crossing Turns One
BY BILL RUBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
To fanfare, the St. Croix River Crossing opened on
August 2, 2017. History teaches us that good things come to those who wait. The
St. Croix Valley waited decades for its moment last August. The opening event
was widely covered by national news and Twin Cities media.
At the ceremonial ribbon-cutting held on the morning
of August 2nd, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton spilled the beans by saying the
new bridge would open later in the day. Into the microphone Gov. Dayton asked
his transportation commissioner, “Charlie (Zelle), is it still 8:00 p.m.?” The
program’s emcee, Oak Park Heights Mayor Mary McComber, was quick with a reply,
“The Governor has ruled it will be 8:00 p.m. tonight!” Cheers rang out. Until
that moment, MnDOT had played it close to the vest about the exact day and time
the new St. Croix River Crossing would open. Perhaps it was the worst kept
secret in engineering circles.
If one bridge was set to open, then another would
close. August 2nd marked the closing of the historic Lift Bridge in downtown
Stillwater, MN. The last car across the Lift Bridge was a vintage 1931 Stutz
convertible, the same year the Lift Bridge opened. The starter on the Stutz
reportedly failed as it made its way across the bridge and even Stillwater’s
Mayor helped push it along. At least it did not run out of gas as it appeared
the Lift Bridge would. Old and tired, the erector-set-of-a-bridge was just
about done. It served the St. Croix Valley well.
Fittingly, the Lift Bridge
gets a second chance as a recreational amenity for the St. Croix Valley. The
bridge is in the middle of a restoration. It is expected to reopen in mid-2019
for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy as they cross between Wisconsin and
Minnesota on a loop trail connecting it to the new bridge.
Both Governor Dayton and Wisconsin Governor Walker
were in rare form during the ceremonial opening. Gov. Dayton vowed to place a
tollbooth on the new bridge and Green Bay Packer fans would pay double. Gov.
Walker responded with a reminder of 2018’s Super Bowl game in Minneapolis and
how convenient it would be for Packer fans to attend and cheer on their team.
Alas, neither the toll booth nor Green Bay playing in the Super Bowl panned
out.
Governor Walker may have summed it up best by
saying, “This river may divide us, but this bridge unites us. It unites our
commerce and our economy. It unites our employment base. … It unites our education,
particularly higher education, and yes, even today, it unites us even as Packer
and Viking fans.”
Whether it’s a birthday or anniversary, the St.
Croix Crossing will have served the St. Croix Valley for one year as of August
2nd. Well played.
St. Croix Economic
Development Corporation: https://stcroixedc.com/river-crossing-turns-one/
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