UPDATED: St. Croix River Crossing Won't Get a Vote in 2011

The St. Croix River Crossing bill will not make it to the House floor for a vote in 2011.

"I looked through the omnibus this morning and the St. Croix River Crossing Project is not included," said Becky Rogness, a spokesperson for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). "Congresswoman Bachmann and her colleagues will continue to support efforts to get H.R. 850 to the House floor in 2012."

Because the House works on a two-year Congress, the bill doesn’t die in 2012, Rogness said. A vote on Bachmann's bill, H.R. 850, may still happen next year.

The second session of the 112th Congress convenes on Jan. 17.

"We're thinking it will be more of a January issue," Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki said Thursday afternoon. "In the rush to get out of town, the bill didn't make it on the calendar this year."

But Harycki said he is still hopeful the project will get a vote during the 112th Congress.

"It's not a setback, it's more of a scheduling issue," Harycki said. "We're still confident it will be taken up by Congress is the next couple of months."

Mike Wilhelmi, executive director of the Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing released the following statement today:

"The bridge project — like many other projects and issues across the country — is waiting for Congress to take action. Our project has strong, broad support from our elected representatives on both sides of the political aisle. We are confident that they will secure the needed federal approval that will allow the bridge to be built and put thousands of people to work.

"It took decades to create the right plan for a new St. Croix River Crossing. In just a few months of working together as a coalition, we have moved the bridge issue to the forefront of both the U.S. House and the Senate. The support and energy from people in the St. Croix Valley has helped us get closer to construction than ever before. After 50 years of waiting we will be working even harder in the next few months to get to the finish line."

UPDATED FROM: Tuesday 2 p.m. 

During a trip to visit , Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said he is still working to get the St. Croix River Crossing bill an omnibus hearing.

Congress is hoping to wrap up work for 2011 by the end of this week, according to a Minnesota Public Radio report. But with tax cut extension and annual spending bills that have yet to be resolved, a final vote to exempt the proposed $690 million bridge from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has not yet been scheduled.

“This is the closest we’ve been and I hope this is it,” Franken told Stillwater Patch on Saturday. “This has gotten ridiculous. This has to be it. Amy (Klobuchar), Michele (Bachmann) and I are working hard to get this done.”

According to the MPR report, there are several larger, must-pass bills Congress has yet to vote on—and all of those bills could be possible legislative vehicles for the lift bridge replacement.

“Congresswoman Bachmann (R-Minn.) and the other supporters of the current St. Croix River Crossing Project in Congress continue to support efforts to get this bill to the House floor,” Rogness said Tuesday morning. “We are encouraged by Leadership and Natural Resources Committee that H.R. 850 will see a vote, but unfortunately we did not have a concrete timeline at this time.

“Congresswoman Bachmann knows a new St. Croix River Crossing will positively impact the region, so she will continue working on this issue until it passes into law.”

Federal law requires that bills be posted for three days before heading to the House floor for a vote. If H.R. 850 is added to the omnibus later today, a vote could happen yet this week.

Because the House works on a two-year Congress, the bill doesn’t die in 2012, Rogness said. If the bill isn’t added to the omnibus for this week, a vote may still happen in 2012.

Other Recent Bridge News

Last week, MnDOT once again slammed the Sensible Stillwater Bridge Partnership’s lower, slower diagonal river crossing proposal citing substantial environmental harm, underestimated cost, a lengthy review process and location issues with the plan.

According to MnDOT’s report, if the Diagonal Bridge project was to survive the environmental and permit processes, the soonest construction of a new crossing could likely begin is 2019.

The proposal’s location—near the Oasis Café—is the biggest problem MnDOT has with the proposal, the report states.

“The location of the Diagonal Concept crossing has been studied several times during the development of the St. Croix River Crossing Project,” the review states. “Each time the diagonal crossing was studied it was ultimately dismissed from further consideration because it introduces more environmental impacts than the Preferred Alternative location that was selected further to the south.”

According to the report, the diagonal concept would impact historic property, a park and the bluff near the Wisconsin shoreline.

The Sensible Stillwater Bridge Partnership fired back with a response to MnDOT’s most recent review.

“What do the Governor and MnDOT not get? The Obama Administration made clear that they do not support the $690 million St. Croix River Crossing,” said Jim Erkel a spokes person for the Sensible Stillwater Bridge Partnership. 

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently urged state and federal officials to convene a working group that would move quickly to determine a consensus bridge concept.

“That means engaging in a dialogue. A dialogue,” Erkel said. “Not going off to a corner and writing up an apples-to-oranges critique without any discussion with other parties.”

Erkel said Gov. Mark Dayton and MnDOT have been “silent” on the Obama Administration invitation to participate in a consensus bridge working group.

“Is MnDOT’s critique of the Sensible Stillwater Bridge concept their reply to that invitation? We hope not,” Erkel said. “For the sake of Stillwater residents, Minnesota taxpayers and all those drivers who cross deficient bridges for which there is no money for repair, MnDOT and the Governor should agree to the Administration’s invitation to conceive a consensus bridge.”