The raising and lowering of the Stillwater Lift Bridge, a major attraction for photographers on the St. Croix River, began Wednesday.
The lift is operated several times a day each boating season, through Oct. 15, to allow boat traffic to travel north and south of the bridge in downtown Stillwater. The two-lane bridge opened in 1931.
Starting in late 2016, the Lift Bridge will close to vehicle traffic and will become part of a 5-mile "loop trail" that also will cross a new St. Croix River bridge 2 miles downstream. The Lift Bridge will continue to be raised for boat navigation after it closes to vehicles, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.
The new four-lane bridge, currently under construction, will link Hwy. 36 in Oak Park Heights with Hwy. 35 in rural St. Croix County, Wis. The project, which includes approach highways and environmental and cultural protections, will cost up to $646 million and has reached the halfway point in construction.
The Lift Bridge is staffed full time from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends and holidays.
See www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/liftbridge/schedule.html for more information about the lift operation, including times when it's raised and lowered.
For more information about the conversion of the Lift Bridge into a loop trail, go to www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/liftbridge/
Kevin Giles
