What's on Tap for the St. Croix River Crossing Project in 2013

Whether you love it, hate it or claim indifference, the St. Croix River Crossing was the biggest story of 2012 in the St. Croix Valley.

On March 14, President Barack Obama signed a bill exempting the St. Croix River Crossing from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. A project decades in the making could finally move forward.

This year, construction will begin.

What's On Tap For 2013:

• The Minnesota Department of Transportation will have lettings (ask for proposals from contractors) for the Highway 36 approach work and the foundations piece of the bridge this spring.
• Wisconsin State officials plan to relocate rare mussel species out of an area of the St. Croix River where construction of a new bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota will disturb the river bottom.
• Contracts will be awarded and work will begin in May in the St. Croix river and on Highways 36 and 95.
• The letting for the St. Croix overlook is in March and construction from May to September.
• Construction on the parking lot for Club Tara will begin in April 2013. 

MnDOT will talk more firmly about dates in a few weeks, Mary McFarland Brooks, a department spokesperson said.

Click here to watch the progress of construction on MnDOT's live webcam.