Groundwork begins on St. Croix Crossing project

As the construction season nears a close, MnDOT is making progress on the St. Croix bridge project-related roadwork.

The bridge will be an "extradosed" design -- a hybrid of a concrete box girder style, similar to the I-35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis, and a cable-stayed style, similar to the Sabo Bridge in Minneapolis. Work on the new bridge project could begin as early as next spring. Costs for the project, which include road and other work on the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the river, range from $580 million to $676 million.

The new bridge will cross the scenic St. Croix at Oak Park Heights and St. Joseph, Wisconsin.

Beginning this week, crews will haul materials to the area adjacent to the Beach Road ramp off eastbound Highway 36 in Oak Park Heights, not far from the bridge site. Piles of dirt will be visible to the south of Highway 36 while the area is prepared for future Beach Road Bridge construction. Officials say the piles of dirt, called surcharge, will be monitored throughout the winter to measure the weight-bearing ability of the ground beneath the piles.

Also this fall, crews will construct a parking lot for use by the city of Oak Park Heights and Phil's Tara Hideaway restaurant. The parking lot will be located east of the restaurant and will replace parking spaces lost due to changes in the frontage road.

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