St. Croix EDC: St. Croix RIver crossing hearing on July 28th

Contact: Bill Rubin/Jacki Bradham, St. Croix EDC, 715-381-4383 or jacki@stcroixedc.com

On Thursday, July 28th, a bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) will receive a hearing by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource, Subcommittee on National Parks. The bill, S1134, will authorize the St. Croix River Crossing Project with appropriate mitigation measures to promote river values.

A modern bridge over the St. Croix River between St. Croix County, Wisconsin and Washington County, Minnesota has been proposed for decades. The new river crossing represents a project of regional significance to west central Wisconsin and the Twin Cities metro area.

St. Croix County and St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC) provided written testimony in support of S1134. The testimony is available online. See St. Croix County Testimony at http://www.stcroixedc.com/news_home/SCCountyTestimonyS1134.pdf or St. Croix EDC Testimony at http://www.stcroixedc.com/news_home/SCEDCTestimonyS1134.pdf.

See below for text version of the Testimony

St. Croix County Testimony:

Daryl Standafer, Chairman, St. Croix County Board of Supervisors

Statement Regarding the St. Croix River Crossing Project – S1134

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Subcommittee on National Parks

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Chairman Mark Udall and members of the Committee,

My name is Daryl Standafer and I am the chair of the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors (St. Croix County, Wisconsin).

St. Croix County enthusiastically supports the construction of a modern bridge over the St. Croix River as recommended by the 2003-2006 mediated stakeholder process that originated through the Udall Foundation (the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution). The stakeholder’s recommendations as to the river crossing’s corridor, design, and environmental analysis led to a Record of Decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation in November 2006.

Numerous communities (cities, villages, towns) and civic organizations in St. Croix County also support the river crossing project.

Several years later, the residents and businesses in the St. Croix Valley of Wisconsin and Minnesota are still awaiting the product of the stakeholder process — the construction and completion of a modern bridge to replace an 80-year old, 2-lane bridge that features a lift mechanism to allow watercraft to pass beneath it. A structure like this is hardly suited for a metro area that possesses a population of 3.3 million people (+10.5% increase from 2000 to 2010).

Further, the lift bridge is fracture critical. It has a safety rating of less than “35” on a rating scale where a score of “50” or less is considered substandard.

The two counties impacted by a new river crossing, St. Croix in Wisconsin and Washington in Minnesota, are among their state’s leaders in population gains. Growing areas in a metro area like the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA require an investment in infrastructure to adequately address the safe flow of residents, commerce, shoppers, and tourists.

The St. Croix River Crossing project enjoys broad, bipartisan support. The two governors, their transportation secretaries, the two impacted counties, the four U.S. Senators, and both U.S. Representatives serving the two districts on either side of the river all support the project.

It is critical for Congress to act. In good faith, the stakeholders completed their task. Now we ask the U.S. House and Senate to do their part by approving the legislation that is before them.

I thank you for your assistance in making this project a reality.

St. Croix EDC Testimony:

Ryan S. Sicard, President, St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (St. Croix County, Wisconsin)

Statement Regarding the St. Croix River Crossing Project – S1134

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Subcommittee on National Parks

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Chairman Mark Udall and members of the Committee,

By way of an introduction, my name is Ryan Sicard, and I serve as the 2011-2012 president of St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a non-profit business league that operates as the independent economic development arm for St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

The EDC has long-supported the construction of a new bridge over the St. Croix River between the Town of St. Joseph in St. Croix County and Oak Park Heights in Washington County, Minnesota.

During the 2003-2006 facilitated stakeholder process, the EDC provided written comments in support of a new bridge during ‘open comment’ periods.

The EDC supports the November 2006 Record of Decision from the U.S. Department of Transportation relative to the adequacy of the work of numerous state and federal agencies.

In January 2011 the EDC board of directors unanimously approved a motion to support Congressional action so that the St. Croix River Crossing project could be approved and ultimately constructed.

The EDC supports S1134 as all other attempts at finding common ground with this decades-delayed project have failed.

Congress must act to resolve this impasse.

Thank you for your assistance and support on this matter.