Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki, Deputy Mayor Jim Rousch and Stillwater’s representative on the Washington County Board Commissioner Gary Kriesel, along with many others spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the offices of elected officials in Washington, D.C. lobbying for the new St. Croix River Crossing.

"My purpose is to represent the residents of Stillwater," Rousch said. "For decades we’ve been trying to get a new bridge here and we’re closer than ever."

The lobbying group was comprised of a bipartisan mix of elected leaders, business owners, chamber of commerce representatives, construction workers and career lobbyists.

Meetings were with Republican and Democrat representatives and senators from Minnesota and Wisconsin. (See the PDF for a list of meetings)

"We’re getting overwhelming support," Rousch said. "They’re telling us we’re doing exactly the right thing by being here with such a big, diverse group. They’re encouraging us to continue to cultivate grassroots support, lobbying congress. Basically we’re doing all the right things."

The proposed $690 million bridge isn't everyone's idea of "the right thing."

Not everyone agrees, though.

Stillwater council member Micky Cook is consistently the "1" in the councils’ "4-1" votes on issues with the new bridge.

"I have many issues with many aspects of this project," she said.

One of the issues, she said she had issue with taxpayers paying for the mayor’s third trip to the nation’s capital as well as the vice mayor’s.

"Stillwater’s thrown enough money into this project," she said. "This is not a good use of taxpayer money."

According to the Star Tribune for Harycki and Roush, the public paid $318 each for plane fare. Kriesel, who chairs the county board, and Ted Schoenecker, the county's transportation each spent $693 for a flight and hotel costs.

Sending so many Stillwater representatives seems especially exuberant when the proposed bridge they are lobbying for won’t even be within city limits, Cook said.

"Why are they there when the bridge will be in Oak Park Heights? No one from Oak Park Heights is there," she asked. "Why are they there when the bridge will go into Houlton, Wis. and bring development into western Wisconsin?"

Harycki has said Stillwater is vested in a the Oak Park Heights’ bridge because it would close traffic on the 80-year-old lift bridge currently connecting the two states.

A possible push for this trip could be Gov. Mark Dayton’s previous Sept. 30 deadline for the project was extended to Nov. 15 to get funding approval. Dayton has supported the bridge but the project could lose its current funding if the project isn’t approved.

Approval would mean congress would have granted an exemption to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act which would prevent the proposed design.

"They’re telling us the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was built to say congress had the ability to make exceptions and they want to follow the spirit the law was drafted in," Rousch said. "We’re optimistic about the timeline."

Cook, however, thinks approval would be a slippery slope saying the day it’s approved would be a sad day for rivers across the nation currently protected by the law.

Additionally, she added the proposed crossing is five miles from the current bridge on Interstate 94.

"Why build an expensive bridge and change the rules when there is already another one five miles down the road?" she said.

Future trips to D.C. to lobby the crossing are neither certain nor out of the question, Rousch said.

"We’re watching and staying in contact with members of congress," he said.

Cook said she would have liked to see more alternatives seriously explored before building "the most expensive bridge in Minnesota histroy to a field in Houlton."

Some of her suggestions were police to direct traffic, limit the time the current lift bridge is lifted or metering the lights.

"There are many options that were not fully explored that could reduce conjestion downtown," she said. "Instead of exploring other options they're pushing this bridge."