08/11/2021
On Saturday at 10:00am, Stillwater will formally celebrate the reconstruction and opening of the 1931 Stillwater Lift Bridge. The old bridge is now the keystone of what is being called the "Lift and Loop," a modern biking and walking trail that connects historic downtown Stillwater and the prairie bluffs of St. Croix County, Wisconsin. This will be the final celebration of the completion of the St. Croix Crossing.
So many people deserve thanks for bringing this project into reality. Construction planning took many years of work from community stakeholders, and the journey to win political and legal approval and funding from Congress, Minnesota and Wisconsin was especially difficult.
The new bridge, the Lift and Loop, and the environmental, cultural and historic preservation elements that were part of this project - none of it would have happened without the leadership of our coalition of labor, business, and community leaders from Minnesota and Wisconsin. We owe our thanks to the many, many people in our community who urged our elected officials to move forward.
If you're interested, join us starting at 10:00am in Stillwater at the foot of the Lift Bridge for one last celebration. It's going to be a beautiful day and a great time!
Finally, here's a 2010 Star Tribune article that summarizes how the entire project was almost lost and the necessity of our advocacy.
In a victory for the Sierra Club, the ruling stalls the latest proposal for a $668 million bridge south of Stillwater.
