Stillwater Gazette

By Matt DeBow

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) cut a purple and green ribbon while standing on the historic lift bridge in downtown Stillwater on a late sunny Saturday morning.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held to signify the opening of the Historic Lift bridge to bike and pedestrian traffic, which was the final piece needed to complete a 4.7 bike and pedestrian loop trail connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even though the bridge opened for that purpose nearly 15 months ago, celebrations were delayed due to the COVID 19 pandemic., The city and other community organizations hosted a daylong grand opening celebration Saturday, Aug. 14.

Klobuchar had returned to Minnesota after the senate passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill in the U.S. Senate on a 69-30 vote on Aug. 10.

“It just shows what this can do for a community,” Klobuchar told The Gazette minutes after cutting the ribbon while standing on the bridge. “We made this case over many, many years that this bridge was too busy and too old.”

The bridge had formerly allowed automobile traffic, leading to busy traffic travelling through downtown Stillwater to get to Wisconsin. So the bridge needed a replacement, and those plans became a reality when the St. Croix Crossing opened on Aug. 2, 2017, for automobile traffic replacing the need for through traffic to traverse downtown Stillwater.

The new $800 billion bridge is south of Stillwater and connects Oak Park Heights to the town of St. Joseph, Wisconsin.

The lift bridge closed for restoration and reopened for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on June 1, 2020.

“I consider it the most beautiful bridge in the Midwest. I really do,” Klobuchar said.

Since opening nearly 1,000 people a day cross the bridge on foot or on bike.

“Hearing those numbers of people walking and biking already, this is going to make it even better,” Klobuchar said. “It just becomes a jewel for new development of small businesses and the like and tourism in this region.”

The completed project is a great example for why it was important to pass the federal infrastructure bill.

“Infrastructure brings in business,” Klobuchar said. “People feel good about walking around or hiking or doing things or biking. They’re going to come to an area and they’re going to spend money when they get here.”

While he was hosting the opening ceremony, Mayor Ted Kozlowski said when he saw a mock up the bridge for the first time he was shocked to see that it was going to be repainted green.

That replica was placed on the front of the stage during the ceremony. It was painted that color to replicate what the bridge looked like in 1931.

Klobuchar said the project was a joint effort between Wisconsin and Minnesota representatives from both parties.

“It was bipartisan, and it just shows that the river doesn’t divide us, it unites us,” Klobuchar said.

A dozen speakers took the stage before the ribbon cutting to explain how Stillwater and other organizations from both states were able to complete the project. Speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota, U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, Minnesota U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, Wisconsin, State Senator Karin Housley, Minnesota State, Representative Shelly Christensen, Minnesota, WisDOT Deputy Transportation Secretary Paul Hammer, MnDOT Deputy Commissioner/Chief Engineer Nancy Daubenberger, WisDOT Northwest Region Director Jerry Mentzel, Washington County Commissioner Gary Kriesel, St. Croix County Board Supervisor Dan Hansen and Town of St. Joseph Chair Theresa Johnson.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers both couldn’t make it, but each sent letters congregating the completion of the project.

Kozlowski noted it was a long program Saturday morning, but when it takes 40 years for a project to complete, there are many people who deserve recognition.

The mayor noted that the river is a shared resource between the two states and the bridge literally and figuratively connects the two communities.

“The river doesn’t divide Minnesota and Wisconsin, it connects us,” Kozlowski said.

Having the bridge open to pedestrian traffic has helped draw tourism, and the city’s downtown businesses did well even in spite of the pandemic.

Many of the dozen two-state dignitaries thanked City Councilor Mike Polehna for his work organizing the celebration. Polehna also organized the original celebration that was scheduled for 2020.

“Mike Polehna, your day is finally here,” State Sen. Housley said.

Polehna said there were two aspects of the original planned celebration that didn’t happen: there wasn’t a dinner on the bridge, and the city didn’t attempt to set a hand- holding world record with people holding hands across all 4.7 miles of the loop trail.

In addition to the speakers and ribbon cutting, there was a mascot dance off, performances by Curio dance group, booths, a beer garden and the day ended with fireworks lighting up the night sky over the St. Croix River.

Bill Kruschel, 96, crossed the bridge when it first opened in 1931. His family drove across the river in a 1931 Ford.

“When I came across it, I was fascinated by the great big structure,” Kruschel said. “I was a six-year-old. When we got to the other end of the bridge they had made the road go off at an angle. I thought, `’Is this little car going to get up that hill?’”

His dad worked selling noodles in packages (which was a new invention at the time). His dad knew every Mom and Pop store on both sides of the river because of his sales job and required his family to travel to both states often.

“Before that we went across at Marine on St. Croix,” Kruschel said. “There was a barge that pulled itself across the river on a cable.”

It cost 25 cents to cross the barge in 1931.

With the restoration efforts, as best as he can recall, the bridge does look like it did in 1931. At 96-years-old Kruschel still rides his bike around the valley every day, and plans on incorporating the lift bridge into his rides.

“I’m just elated to see that it all happened because I can remember through the Washington County Fair 40 years ago when they started talking about this,” Kruschel said. “To see if it finally come to fruition, and then be able to ride across on my bike … Now it’s done and it’s even better than anyone had imagined. It’s just beautiful.”