Stillwater mayor: Mondale is wrong about St. Croix River bridge

Commentary

As mayor of Stillwater, I could not agree more with former Walter Mondale about the St. Croix River: It is indeed a "magnificent river of national and international stature."

But regarding the need to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge, he is wrong.

The former senator and vice president is dismissing the needs of my community and of those throughout the St. Croix Valley region ("Mondale calls St. Croix plan 'a dangerous precedent'," March 25).

We deserve better than a bridge that scored lower on safety inspections than the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed in 2007.

The Stillwater Lift Bridge needs replacing.

This is why the community and more than two dozen stakeholders spent more than three years with a federal mediator, working to determine the best way to create a responsible project.

They looked at every possible option, even including tunneling under the river.

This thorough process resulted in the plan for which we advocate. Our goals have been endorsed by Gov. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin.

The project will divert 18,000 cars per day out of downtown Stillwater, while preserving the historic lift bridge for new purposes.

We will improve walking and biking access to the river, while creating a dependable river crossing that will handle traffic needs in the years ahead.

The planning process respected the river's importance as a unique environmental resource.

That's why the plan is to build the new bridge between a power plant and a wastewater treatment facility, which are neither pristine nor majestic.

It is understandable that people have concerns about issues that affect our community and our region. But it is wrong when the concerns of one person or group disregard the greatest possible good.

The former vice president supports the position taken by the Sierra Club, which has opposed this project every step of the way, with unrealistic demands and unworkable "solutions."

Its delaying tactics have added tens of millions of dollars to the price of this project.

Our plan does not weaken environmental protection measures for the St. Croix River.

We are simply asking Congress to give permission to build the bridge. After all we've been through in designing this project, we are certain that we are not creating a negative precedent for the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The people of Stillwater and the St. Croix River Valley will always want and need to protect the river in our back yards. This does not change the fact that for all practical and safety purposes, we need a new bridge.

Our vision is to move forward with the most responsible plan for creating a better, more dependable river crossing. We want to improve people's access to the river and improve our quality of life.

Most of all, we need to make decisions that reflect the greatest possible good.

The community has done its part by defining a safe, responsible vision for our future and designing a project to meet that vision.

Now we need Congress to help us take the next step, by approving the community's plan to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge with a new bridge in the right location.

Ken Harycki is mayor of Stillwater.