Stillwater Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Stillwater Bridge is a vertical lift bridge
crossing the St. Croix River
between Stillwater, Minnesota
, and Houlton, Wisconsin
. It connects Minnesota State Highway 36
and WIS 64
, and is one of two bridges on the river between the Interstate 94
bridge in Hudson, Wisconsin
and the U.S. Highway 8 bridge in Taylors Falls, Minnesota
, providing a popular and useful alternative to those crossings. (The other bridge is the Minnesota State Highway 243
bridge, in Osceola, Wisconsin
) Around 18,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
The bridge consists of ten fixed steel truss spans 1,050 feet (320 m) long in total, including a vertically lifting span 140 feet (43 m) long. It is 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, allowing one lane of traffic in each direction. The lifting span is a Waddell
and Harrington type, one of six built in Minnesota
and Wisconsin
and one of three still remaining today. Built in 1931 to replace a swing bridge
from 1910, it was the last bridge of this design to be built in the area. Minnesota and Wisconsin evenly split the $460,174 cost of the bridge.
Because the bridge feeds directly into downtown Stillwater on the Minnesota side, gridlock
often occurs and traffic can back up on Minnesota State Highway 36 for many miles, especially on weekends and during the summer. The effect is made worse whenever the bridge is raised. The bridge's mechanisms have remained essentially unaltered since its opening in 1931 and have on occasion become stuck.
In addition, the bridge has been deemed "structurally deficient" by inspectors, receiving a sufficiency rating of 32.8 on a 100-point scale, as of June 23, 2008. Because of the bridge's design, it is considered "fracture critical"; there is no built-in redundancy to prevent the entire structure from collapsing if one component fails. In comparison, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, another fracture critical bridge which collapsed on August 1, 2007, received a sufficiency rating of 50. The bridge currently has a height restriction of 13 feet, 2 inches, and a weight restriction of 40 tons.
These factors have led to consideration of either replacing the bridge or constructing a new one nearby. The city of Stillwater, on January 18, 2011, officially endorsed its desire to see the bridge shut to auto traffic. However, the National Park Service
's policy requires the number of bridges on the river to remain constant, precluding an additional bridge. Local sentiment for the bridge is strong, backed by the bridge's status on the National Register of Historic Places
, which makes the idea of a replacement very unpopular.
Beginning August 1, 2005, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
closed the bridge to perform substantial repairs at a cost of $5 million provided by Congress. The project included renovating the Tender's House so that it would conform to modern safety standards while maintaining historical preservation. On November 11, 2005, the bridge re-opened to traffic after the bridge deck had been replaced, ending a severe three-month traffic issue on the St. Croix.
In July, 2008, a truck carrying lumber exceeded the height clearance of the bridge and struck its structure as it tried to cross. The bridge had to be closed for repairs, and reopened on August 2, 2008.
The St. Croix River Crossing Project of MnDOT calls for the construction of a brand new, four-lane bridge less than a mile downriver, and converting the Stillwater Bridge to pedestrian and bicycle use. Originally, construction of this bridge was planned to start in 2024, but legislation was passed requiring the Department of Transportation to address aging bridges by 2018, and construction is now planned to start in 2013. However, on March 11, 2010, a federal judge ruled that the government had violated its rules in approving the bridge design; the process must go back to an earlier stage.
In 2009, Minneapolis architectural model builder, Feyereisen Studios, completed a model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The idea to build a physical model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge was undertaken in an effort to enlist the assistance of the disabled community, to make it easier for everyone to visualize and clearly understand the project. Unlike most architectural models, the model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge was designed so that the visually impaired could feel and better visualize the model. The architectural model builders enlisted the help of the visual impaired while creating the model, and utilized various unconventional materials, including magnets to make breakaway lamp posts, sandpaper to indicate detectable warnings, raised crosswalk markings to indicate the crosswalk, fuzzy grass, and everything on the model was labeled with both large text and Braille for low vision people to understand the plans for the bridge.
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
crossing the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
between Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
, and Houlton, Wisconsin
Houlton, Wisconsin
Houlton is an unincorporated census-designated place located in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. Houlton is located across the St. Croix River from Stillwater, Minnesota, in the town of St. Joseph. Houlton has a post office with ZIP code 54082. As of the 2010 census, its population was...
. It connects Minnesota State Highway 36
Minnesota State Highway 36
Minnesota State Highway 36 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line , where it becomes Wisconsin Highway 64 upon crossing the St. Croix River...
and WIS 64
Highway 64 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 64 is a Wisconsin state highway running east–west across central Wisconsin. It is in length. The western end of Highway 64 is located at the Minnesota state line on the Stillwater Bridge in Stillwater, Minnesota. The eastern end is located at U.S...
, and is one of two bridges on the river between the Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
bridge in Hudson, Wisconsin
Hudson, Wisconsin
Hudson is a city in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 18,937, making it the principal and largest city of the Minneapolis - St. Paul metropolitan area . The Hudson area however had a population of 39,713...
and the U.S. Highway 8 bridge in Taylors Falls, Minnesota
Taylors Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 951 people, 369 households, and 247 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6 people per square mile . There were 386 housing units at an average density of 103.7 per square mile...
, providing a popular and useful alternative to those crossings. (The other bridge is the Minnesota State Highway 243
Minnesota State Highway 243
-External links:***...
bridge, in Osceola, Wisconsin
Osceola, Wisconsin
Osceola is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,421 at the 2000 census. The village is located mostly within the Town of Osceola.The downtown features Cascade Falls, a waterfall with a crest, located on Osceola Creek....
) Around 18,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
The bridge consists of ten fixed steel truss spans 1,050 feet (320 m) long in total, including a vertically lifting span 140 feet (43 m) long. It is 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, allowing one lane of traffic in each direction. The lifting span is a Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell was an American civil engineer and prolific bridge designer, with more than a thousand structures to his credit in the United States, Canada, as well as Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, and New Zealand...
and Harrington type, one of six built in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and one of three still remaining today. Built in 1931 to replace a swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
from 1910, it was the last bridge of this design to be built in the area. Minnesota and Wisconsin evenly split the $460,174 cost of the bridge.
Because the bridge feeds directly into downtown Stillwater on the Minnesota side, gridlock
Gridlock
The term gridlock is defined as "A state of severe road congestion arising when continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill; a traffic jam of this kind." The term originates from a situation possible in...
often occurs and traffic can back up on Minnesota State Highway 36 for many miles, especially on weekends and during the summer. The effect is made worse whenever the bridge is raised. The bridge's mechanisms have remained essentially unaltered since its opening in 1931 and have on occasion become stuck.
In addition, the bridge has been deemed "structurally deficient" by inspectors, receiving a sufficiency rating of 32.8 on a 100-point scale, as of June 23, 2008. Because of the bridge's design, it is considered "fracture critical"; there is no built-in redundancy to prevent the entire structure from collapsing if one component fails. In comparison, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, another fracture critical bridge which collapsed on August 1, 2007, received a sufficiency rating of 50. The bridge currently has a height restriction of 13 feet, 2 inches, and a weight restriction of 40 tons.
These factors have led to consideration of either replacing the bridge or constructing a new one nearby. The city of Stillwater, on January 18, 2011, officially endorsed its desire to see the bridge shut to auto traffic. However, the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's policy requires the number of bridges on the river to remain constant, precluding an additional bridge. Local sentiment for the bridge is strong, backed by the bridge's status on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, which makes the idea of a replacement very unpopular.
Beginning August 1, 2005, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
closed the bridge to perform substantial repairs at a cost of $5 million provided by Congress. The project included renovating the Tender's House so that it would conform to modern safety standards while maintaining historical preservation. On November 11, 2005, the bridge re-opened to traffic after the bridge deck had been replaced, ending a severe three-month traffic issue on the St. Croix.
In July, 2008, a truck carrying lumber exceeded the height clearance of the bridge and struck its structure as it tried to cross. The bridge had to be closed for repairs, and reopened on August 2, 2008.
The St. Croix River Crossing Project of MnDOT calls for the construction of a brand new, four-lane bridge less than a mile downriver, and converting the Stillwater Bridge to pedestrian and bicycle use. Originally, construction of this bridge was planned to start in 2024, but legislation was passed requiring the Department of Transportation to address aging bridges by 2018, and construction is now planned to start in 2013. However, on March 11, 2010, a federal judge ruled that the government had violated its rules in approving the bridge design; the process must go back to an earlier stage.
In 2009, Minneapolis architectural model builder, Feyereisen Studios, completed a model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The idea to build a physical model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge was undertaken in an effort to enlist the assistance of the disabled community, to make it easier for everyone to visualize and clearly understand the project. Unlike most architectural models, the model of the Stillwater Lift Bridge was designed so that the visually impaired could feel and better visualize the model. The architectural model builders enlisted the help of the visual impaired while creating the model, and utilized various unconventional materials, including magnets to make breakaway lamp posts, sandpaper to indicate detectable warnings, raised crosswalk markings to indicate the crosswalk, fuzzy grass, and everything on the model was labeled with both large text and Braille for low vision people to understand the plans for the bridge.
External links
- Minnesota's Historic Bridges - Stillwater Bridge
- MnDOT - Stillwater Bridge Repair Home Page
- MnDOT - Stillwater Bridge Lifting Schedule (PDF)
- MnDOT - St. Croix River Crossing Project
- Feyereisen Studios
- Feyereisen Studios Designs Bridge Model for the Blind to Better Visualize the Sillwater Lift Bridge