The Stillwater Lift Bridge, seen from Stillwater, which connects Minnesota to Wisconsin by spanning the St. Croix River. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Less than two weeks ago, news outlets reported that Gov. Mark Dayton had imposed a Sept. 30 deadline for Congress to act on the proposed St. Croix River bridge south of Stillwater. If the deadline is missed, Dayton said, federal funds for the project would be diverted to other transportation needs.

Congress should act sooner rather than later to support the project, but the governor's deadline may not be realistic given the political gridlock in Washington. The polarization between parties that forced a government shutdown in Minnesota appears significantly worse there.

Dayton's office insists that the deadline doesn't mean a softening of the governor's support for the much-needed four-lane bridge. Rather, he doesn't want to see the state lose some of the dollars set aside for the project because of federal deadlines.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation also says the deadline is important so that it can target other ways for the money to be used if Congress doesn't support the bridge project. An act of Congress is needed because the river falls under the protection of the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The proposed bridge was the one selected by a wide range of groups, who spent several years weighing various options. The current two-lane lift bridge in Stillwater is deteriorating and cannot handle the traffic demands of the 21st century.

It's not only critical that Congress approve the project, but that the governor show some flexibility with his deadline if only one of the legislative branches has dealt with the measure before Sept. 30. At a time when the country is so politically divided, the bridge project enjoys unusual bipartisan support that shouldn't be undermined.

The DFL governor sent the letter to the Minnesota congressional delegation on May 3, two months after he stood alongside Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann on a brisk day in Stillwater and endorsed the project. At the time, Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar promised to shepherd the project in the Senate.

About three weeks after receiving the governor's letter, Klobuchar and three other senators introduced a bill that would allow the project to move forward. Did the governor's action prompt the senators to get moving? Very likely, but they won't say so.

In Klobuchar's defense, she needed time to build the kind of bipartisan support from leaders in Wisconsin and Minnesota that Bachmann had already established in the House. One of those key representatives, Democratic Sen. Al Franken, took his time warming to the proposal.

Because the letter didn't become public until late last month, speculation ensued that the governor was waffling in his support. Some suspected that the money might be diverted for the roads improvements needed for a proposed Vikings stadium in Arden Hills. That's not true, according to MnDOT. And a spokeswoman for the governor said he has no interest in sandbagging the bridge.

The push by Bachmann, who's typically a hawk on government spending, reflects the need for the estimated $634 million bridge project. Bachmann's support leaves her open to criticism from her antigovernment supporters as she pursues her presidential ambition. She and Klobuchar are to be commended for their ongoing work to win congressional approval for the project.

Now the rest of the House and Senate should put aside their differences long enough to allow a major upgrade to the U.S. transportation system to move ahead.