Update: Stillwater Lift Bridge May Close in a State Government Shutdown

If there is a government shutdown July 1, the Stillwater Lift Bridge will close, according to Minnesota Department of Transportation Officials (MnDOT).

In an email from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to Washington County, Adam Josephson, the MnDOT east area manager says:

"Closure of the lift bridge is not certain, it depends on resolution of a state budget or what is determined by the courts to be critical functions absent a state budget by July 1.

"The lift bridge operations have not been identified as a critical government function and operations of the lift bridge are expected to cease on June 30 if state budgets are not resolved," the email goes on to state.

State officials notified people on either side of the river near the Stillwater Lift Bridge that the bridge may close, Kevin Gutknecht, a MnDot spokesperson confirmed this afternoon.

"The court has to decide what the final critical services will be, but in the event of a shutdown (operating the lift bridge) is not a core-critical service," Gutknecht said. "The Coast Guard has rules about waterways and we need to make sure the waterways are open if the bridge is not operating."

“From a legal standpoint river navigation takes precedence over roadway traffic, thus the lift bridge will need to be closed to vehicle traffic and the lift span left in the up position so as not to impede river navigation," Josephson’s email states. "Vehicle traffic will be detoured to I-94 in Hudson."

State workers operate the bridge on a daily schedule, which is why the bridge would potentially close in the event of a shutdown.

The closure would affect many of the city of Stillwater employees who use the bridge, as well as those working at the hospital and Anderson Windows, Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki said.

“It underscores the need to move forward with a solution to the ,” the mayor said. “Thousands of people are impacted with closures to this 80-year-old bridge, which have increased over the years with renovations, weather, flooding and accidents.

“It proves the point that rerouting traffic to I-94 isn’t a viable option,” he continued. “It’s an inconvenience and it impacts thousands of people in the St. Croix Valley on both sides of the river.”

This would be the first time the state has shut down the lift bridge during a major city festival such as the Fourth of July, Harycki said. The city usually works with MnDot so the bridge isn't closed during festivals and events, he said.

“That’s the biggest issue right now,” he said. “We’re one of the few cities in the east metro to put on a big fireworks display on the Fourth. We get a lot of traffic from the east metro and Wisconsin because we put on a heck of a fireworks show.”

The police chief will have to figure out how to deal with the traffic with one of the “main veins” being shut down, Harycki said.

Wayne Sandberg, the deputy public works director for Washington County said the county is currently working in a support role with Stillwater to help manage traffic over the Fourth of July.

There are no detailed plans on how to handle the traffic, but city and county officials are looking at the “pressure points” and how to deal with them, he said.

The lift bridge closure means less traffic into town, which can be good for pedestrians moving around the Stillwater community, but the lack of the river crossing can be seen as a detriment with much longer drives getting across the river at Interstate 94, Sandberg said.

The Coalition for a St. Croix River Crossing issued a statement this afternoon saying:

"We hope that elected leaders in Minnesota can find a way to reach a compromise and prevent a state shut down. If they cannot resolve their differences, the people who depend on the bridge will be forced to use other routes, increasing traffic and impacting the quality of life for everyone in the St. Croix River Valley.

"As crazy as it is that the government may be forced to shut down, not moving forward with the new bridge makes even less sense," the statement continues. "Tens of thousands of people in our region depend on this vital link between our two states."

The issue will be brought before the City Council next week.