Tuesday, May 21, 2013
MnDOT will host an official “groundbreaking ” for the St. Croix River Crossing Project on Tuesday, May 28 at Lowell Park in downtown Stillwater. Roadwork on Highway 36 is expected to begin the following day.
MnDOT will host an official “groundbreaking ” for the St. Croix River Crossing Project on Tuesday, May 28 at Lowell Park in downtown Stillwater. The event—from 2:30-3:30 p.m.—is open to the public and will feature remarks from elected officials, along with a ceremonial groundbreaking. Roadwork is also expected to begin next week on Highway 36 from Highway 120 in North St. Paul through Lake Elmo to just east of Washington Avenue in Oak Park Heights. Construction along this 8-mile stretch of Highway 36 begins May 29, weather permitting. The roadwork is part of the St. Croix River Crossing Project, and includes minor grading and resurfacing on the road, revising signal timings and adding traffic-management signs, according to MnDOT. During …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A quick look at the top headlines from last week around the Twin Cities east metro area and Hudson.
Below is a collection of stories from east metro Twin Cities Patch sites Thousands to Descend on Woodbury for Lions Club Garage Sale Every sale has something a little offbeat. What’s the oddest item that will be featured at your sale this week? Tell us in the comments section. Osaka Now Open at Woodbury Lakes The Japanese restaurant features a sushi bar and a dozen hibachi tables. Dana’s Closes, The Woods Coming to Woodbury The new store is expected to open this summer. Snapshot: What’s With the Big ‘X’ Along Highway 5 in Oakdale? There are about 100 signs posted in the area as part of Washington County’s aerial survey project. Work Underway at New Oakdale Caribou Coffee The new coffee shop is expected to open this fall. Minnesota Health …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
A federal judge denied C.S. McCrossan’s request to stop roadwork of the St. Croix River Crossing while the courts determine whether or not MnDOT illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million project.
A federal judge denied C.S. McCrossan’s request to stop roadwork of the St. Croix River Crossing while the courts determine whether or not MnDOT illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million project. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle put the federal case on hold until a separate lawsuit in the Minnesota Court of Appeals is resolved. “Of course, we’re extremely disappointed with the decision,” Tom McCrossan, president of the Maple Grove-based company, told the Star Tribune. “The reason we’re pursuing this is solely to prevent the wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money.” Last month, McCrossan alleged that MnDOT improperly awarded a bid to construct the approach work for the $626 million river crossing …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Dead zebra mussels have been discovered on multiple construction barges that were set to do construction work on the new St. Croix River Crossing. Work has been halted for now.
Dead zebra mussels have been found on six of eight barges owned by a St. Croix River Crossing construction contractor, according to a Pioneer Press article by Dave Orrick. The mussels were discovered before any of the vessels entered the river, and work has been halted nonetheless. From the Pioneer Press article: The St. Croix is technically classified as contaminated with zebra mussels south of Taylors Falls, but its populations have plummeted to near zero in many areas. In announcing those findings in March, National Park Service officials spoke of the river getting a rare second chance -- but they cautioned that the construction project was potentially a new avenue for the invasive mollusks to re-establish themselves. READ THE PIONEER …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The current work includes building dock walls to support equipment access for construction of bridge foundations and installing steel sheet panels to provide docking facilities for barges.
Work on the St. Croix Crossing has begun, MnDOT announced Monday, with crews building a construction staging area on the Minnesota banks of the St. Croix River. The current work includes: Work scheduled for early May: Noticeably missing from MnDOT’s list of current work, and work scheduled for early May, is the road work on Highway 36. Last week, C.S. McCrossan filed a federal lawsuit against the MnDOT alleging that the department and its commissioner illegally rejected its bid to construct the approach work for the St. Croix River Crossing. The federal lawsuit alleges that MnDOT improperly applied federal rules with respect to hiring disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE). C.S. McCrossan is seeking an “immediate injunction to halt …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
On March 14, 2012, one of the longest unfinished bridge projects in the history of the United States began to come to a close, when President Obama signed the St. Croix River Crossing Project legislation.
It was one year ago Thursday when President Barack Obama signed legislation into law exempting the St. Croix River Crossing Project from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. His signature allowed plans for constructing the St. Croix River Crossing to move forward. Check out this photo Micheal Foley took of a crew drilling along 35 and taking samples for construction of the new river crossing. Sixth District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann released the following statement today: “One year ago, one of the longest unfinished bridge projects in the history of the United States began to come to a close, when President Obama signed the St. Croix River Crossing Project legislation. A major victory for Minnesota, the new four-lane bridge will increase …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Both authorizations were required due to the construction involving work within the St. Croix River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued the Minnesota Department of Transportation the permits needed to complete construction of the new St. Croix River Crossing. The Corps’ permit includes two authorizations under the Rivers and Harbors Act’s Section 10 and the Clean Water Act’s Section 404. Both authorizations were required due to the construction involving work within the St. Croix River. Now that the application has been approved, MnDOT can start the bid-letting process for construction work. The permits authorize MnDOT to construct: The permit also authorizes MnDOT to remove an unused barge unloader facility from the Allen S. King Plant—and redistribute aggregate fill from within the facility cells on the river bottom. RELATED: …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater) writes about tax code, Governor Mark Dayton's Budget and charging a toll on the new St. Croix River Crossing.
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Monday, February 25
Editor’s Note: The following is a news release from Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater). Lohmer represents the Stillwater area in Minnesota House District 39B. _________________________________________ Last week, the House passed a bill to conform Minnesota’s tax code to federal changes made for the 2012 tax year. When the bill initially passed the House on Feb. 11, it passed unanimously. However, after it came back from the Senate, we discovered 17 pages of controversial language that changed the makeup the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRB) - a completely unrelated provision to tax conformity. The provision essentially removes citizens from serving on that board and replaces those citizens with politicians. Because this …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
“I think this is a crazy proposal,” Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) said. “I will not be voting for any kind of toll road or toll bridge between the great states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.”
In an attempt to find new ways to fund roads and transit in Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports that DFL leaders want to explore the idea of placing tolls on the yet-to-be-built St. Croix River Crossing. According to the “Innovative Financing Study” prepared for MnDOT in 2011, using tolls on the St. Croix River Crossing could pay for nearly half of its capital costs, as well as all of its ongoing operations and maintenance costs. "It's a potentially important source of revenue," Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Mpls.), chairman of the House transportation finance committee told the Star Tribune. Gov. Mark Dayton's transportation commissioner reportedly told the Star Tribune that he’s open to the idea and thinks it “needs to be explored.” "Tolling …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Oak Park Heights City Council on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night decided to contribute $3,000 from city coffers to the Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing.
The Oak Park Heights City Council on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night decided to contribute $3,000 from city coffers to the Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing. Council members Mike Runk and Les Abrahamson dissented. “I don’t see what exactly the purpose is, because basically all that is mentioned is a possible lawsuit and the funding is not permissible for use in that,” Runk said. The Coalition facilitates a lot of the communications between MnDOT, businesses and various governmental agencies, Council Member Chuck Dougherty said. “I have no problem with that,” Runk replied. “But when we had issues, it almost seemed like a case where they were trying to lobby us, rather than assist us.” Abrahamson agreed. “I think the Coalition did a very …
StillH2oKev
9:09 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Just build the damn bridge we've waited to long more ›