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Michele Bachmann's St. Croix bridge plan gets booed by river group

By Joe Kimball | 03/01/11

More opposition is emerging to legislation introduced today in Congress by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann to build a new four-lane bridge across the St. Croix River south of Stillwater:

American Rivers, which has named the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers, decried the move.

Said American Rivers President Rebecca Wodder in a statement:

"Representative Bachmann's bill creates an irresponsible loophole and is not the answer that citizens are looking for. Minnesotans and Wisconsinites value clean water and take great pride in their healthy rivers. But Rep. Bachmann's earmark for a massive freeway would cost taxpayers over $600 million, cause more pollution and traffic, and irreversibly damage the beauty of the Lower St. Croix.

 "We have a responsibility to safeguard the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway for our children. Generations of citizens have paddled and fished on the river, enjoying its incredible views and scenery. Rep. Bachmann's massive four-lane freeway through the heart of the river would forever change the outdoor experience so many have come to love.” 

“American Rivers is ready and willing to help find an alternative that meets transportation needs, is less expensive, and protects the values of the St. Croix.

 “Wild and Scenic rivers like the St. Croix are national treasures, valued for their clean water, fish and wildlife, and unsurpassed recreation opportunities. They support local businesses and are sources of community identity and pride. We must uphold the protections on the St. Croix and on all Wild and Scenic rivers if we want to leave a legacy of clean water and healthy rivers to future generations.”

Congresswoman Betty McCollum, who represents Ramsey County, said earlier she'd do everything in her power to fight the bridge plan.

Comments (4)

Submitted by William Pappas on March 2, 2011 - 7:45am.

Environmentalists have really been swimming upstream on this one. It is only the fiscal crisis our state has encountered, engineered and perpetuated by the conservative policies of politicians like Bachmann, that has put a slight brake on public support for this boondoggle. Yes, the Park Service stepped up and stated the obvious (that nearly every stakeholder group ignored) and enforced the "no bridge proliferation" portion of the act as well as the severe ecological impact of such a project, but there was virtually no effort by the media to portray the opposing view of the mega bridge becasue MNDOT did not allow opposing stake holders to be heard! This bridge is an absurdity in lignt of today's awareness of fiscal realities and irresponsible metropolitan growth and sprawl. The current cost estimates do not take into account the total liability of rebuilding HW 36 through Stillwater and destroying their business district with a mega freeway. No one but non-stakeholders ever considered a down sized bridge that could be built lower, at boulevard speeds, encouraging less high speed commuting and ending the necessity of rebuilding the entire stretch of 36 through the Stillwater business strip, saving hundres of millions of dollars. A downsizing of scale and speed would be much less environmentally damaging, fit into the valley less intrusively and still allow today's commuters to bypass the Stillwater bottleneck. The accompanying sprawl on both sides of the river would be massively reduced by keeping the bridgework confined to the valley itself. MNDOT never considered anything but a high bridge at 70 MPH speeds. That was barely acceptable thinking in the 90's and certainly is not compatible with the realities of 2011. Promoting growth with long commutes and expensive infrastructure costs that can no longer be supported by today's tax structure (remember "no new taxes" doesn't provide enough revenue for sewers roads and water to be extended in such sprawling fasshion any longer). Bachmann and conservative supporters such as county commissioner Gary Kriesell have ensured the rejection of a bridge they love by their own selfish tax policy that can't afford their single minded devotion to highways and expensive infrastructure expansion that they crave. Conservative ideological policy collides with the reality of reduced revenue and squeezed transportation budgets. With the actual cost of such a gargantuan and irresponsible St. Coix crossing actually approaching a billion dollars the supporters of this budget busting monster are finding their position harder and harder to defend with their constituents.

Submitted by Roy Everson on March 2, 2011 - 8:10am.

Bridges are just socialism for river crossers. Surely people should assume personal responsibility and figure out their own way to cross the river without running to Washington. When our ancestors approached a river they simply crossed it. No act of Congress necessary.

Submitted by Susanna Patterson on March 2, 2011 - 2:07pm.

From a local perspective, I can tell you that building such a bridge would surely seal the fate of Historic Downtown Stillwater as an abandoned ghost town. Downtown merchants will hear none of this, however, insisting that "all that traffic" is nothing but a nuisance that drives away potential customers. City council members raise the alarm about the "unsafe condition" of the existing bridge as an excuse to abandon it. As in Duluth, the lift bridge is the symbol of the city; the focal point; the unique attraction.

Submitted by Mike Robinson on March 3, 2011 - 6:16am.

Michele introduced a bill. Thats the easy part. Question is will she be in Washington to lobby and shepherd the bill through committee and onto the floor? No!!! She is on the primary state circuit full time in case you are keeping track. She still draws a government check though.

As the Tea Party leader are we to believe she would work to spend , 600 million and it will be close to a billion when all is said and done, while railing against big government socialist spending, pork, earmarks, and the deficit. I don't think so.

But it is a real issue that 600 million is a lot to spend for in reality is a relativity few people who use that crossing. I like to know how many lanes of traffic feed manhattan and vehicle count per lane to get an idea of how far out of wack this proposal is.

Best bet IMHO is to have the current bridge restricted , it will need an act of congress as its an interstate bridge, to under 10 tons for health, safety of residents /visitors and preservation of historic buildings in Stillwater. That would make Michele a real conservative but I am afraid she is more interested in celebrity.