In recent months Minnesota and Wisconsin officials have made a show of their willingness to cooperate in the face of tough economic times. That cooperative spirit was put to a test Friday when local and state officials sharply disagreed over a measure to restrict truck traffic on Stillwater's historic Lift Bridge.
Two bills in the Minnesota Legislature seek to restrict big trucks from crossing the St. Croix River on the Stillwater Lift Bridge, which proponents say has become a traffic and safety hazard. They note recent truck accidents -- one requiring the bridge to close for a week of repairs and another that sheared off the front end of a police car.
"This is a safety issue," said Sen. Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury, who convened a meeting attended by about a dozen local and state officials from the two states at Stillwater City Hall.
Proposed legislation in the House would ban trucks longer than 55 feet from a two-block stretch of Chestnut Street in Stillwater directly in front of the bridge. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signaled he wouldn't veto the bill, which he has opposed in the past.
Wisconsin officials said they weren't convinced that the safety issue was serious enough to warrant state-level legislation and that the real issue isn't one of safety, but that Stillwater officials don't want semitrailer trucks in the city's scenic downtown area.
They also said the proposal would hurt Minnesota and Wisconsin businesses that depend on the bridge for commerce, whether it's delivering to grocery stories or cement factories.
"This is going to drive up the cost of doing business on both sides of the river," said Rep. Kitty Rhoades, a Republican whose district includes the Wisconsin side of the river.
Saltzman said currently it's costly for all the people doing business in Stillwater to sit through traffic jams caused by large trucks slowing traffic and making what could be dangerous turns near the bridge.
Minnesota officials also said much of the truck traffic crossing the bridge into Stillwater from Wisconsin does so only to avoid a weigh station that is on the Minnesota side of Interstate 94, where officials make safety checks of the semitrailer trucks and examine drivers' time sheets.
But all parties agreed the solution is to replace the Lift Bridge with a new bridge, which currently is in the planning stage. Saltzman and Rhoades said they hope the project can be helped along with funds from the federal stimulus plan.
The group scheduled another meeting for next week.
Gregory A. Patterson • 612-673-7287
