Scenic Lake St. Croix Overlook Opens, Closures Planned: St. Croix Crossing

The historic Lake St. Croix Scenic Overlook located off Lookout Trail near Peabody Avenue has reopened.

Crews will return later this fall to complete the final details of the restoration. The Minnesota Department of Transportation expects a temporary closure of Lookout Trail for utility work in mid- to late-September and will limit access to the overlook.

The restoration of the Scenic Overlook portion of the St. Croix River Crossing Project cost $650,000, according to the Pioneer Press. The restoration was part of the mitigation package to offset the environmental impacts of the new bridge.

A grand opening of the Scenic Overlook will happen in October when it the outlook is fully accessible.

56th Street North to Close

As a result of bridge construction later this month, MnDOT will close a section of 56th street North.

MnDOT warns that large trucks and semis may find it difficult to turn in this area.

If you plan on traveling between Highways 36 and 95, you can view a PDF of an alternate route here until the new ramps open this fall.

Ongoing traffic impacts

Traffic traveling on Highway 95 between 10th Avenue N. and the Highway 36 junction has shifted east onto the temporary pavement through Fall 2013. Highway 95 will continue to have a single lane in each direction.

MnDOT says this is necessary for crews to reconstruct and realign Highway 95.

Construction of the new Beach Road bridge continues through the end of November. Crews will remove the old bridge and Highway 36 ramps this fall. There will be no full closures of Highway 36 for this removal.

Overnight work on the bridge foundations continues. The noise disruptions associated with the nighttime work are similar to the noise associated with the ongoing daytime work, according to MnDOT. Crews will work 24 hours Sunday night through daytime Saturday, and the nighttime work is expected until early December.

MnDOT still expects the Minnesota approach project will be complete by fall 2014 and the new St. Croix Crossing bridge will be complete in fall 2016.

Wisconsin Work Will Begin in 2014

Work on the Wisconsin side of the river is expected to begin in 2014.

The 3-mile project will complete the WIS 64 project that was built in the early 2000s, tying the four-lane expressway from New Richmond to Houlton into the St. Croix Crossing.

Details for the project include:

• WIS 35 overpass, located near the main bridge
• WIS 35/County E interchange
• Pedestrian and bike path
• Two roundabouts located at the ramp terminals

Schedule for Bids and Work:

• September 2013 – Bids received for the second St. Croix River Bridge contract
• December 2013 – Bids received for the first WisDOT approach contract
• April 2014 – Work begins on Wisconsin approach (WIS 64)
• Fall 2016-Project completion

Looking ahead, WisDOT says the design plans being finalized, real estate acquisition will continue and engineers will continue developing concepts and plans for the Wisconsin section of the bicycle/pedestrian Loop Trail.

As construction ramps up in Wisconsin, you can stay current with updates by signing up for the project newsletter. Click here to read the fall newsletter.