Stillwater Bridge

[Molandfreak]

Aw for a second there I got excited thinking that someday there'd all of a sudden be an I-994, or an I-735 popping into Wisconsin...

Nope.  MnDOT isn't keen on new Interstate corridors, even when potential opportunities present themselves.

Plus, the current freeway sections of MN 36 have too narrow of shoulders to be Interstate standard.

[Mdcastle]

Mn/DOT doesn't care a lot what color and shape the highway markers are...

[Molandfreak]

Usually I don't think highly of the "don't slap an Interstate shield on anything" crowd, but in this case it really would be for the purpose of "slapping an Interstate on any damn freeway." An Interstate connecting to... New Richmond, WI? If WISDOT had any plans to build a freeway all the way to U.S. 53, I could see a use for an Interstate along this corridor then...

[Mdcastle]

IMG_5552 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5553 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5555 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5557 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5558 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5587 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5588 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5590 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5606 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5609 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5617 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5630 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5631 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[Big John]

IMG_5553

For Wisconsin bridge plaques, the "B" stands for bridge, the next number is the county code, and the last number is the unique bridge identifier for that county.

Problem here is that "70" is the code for Winnebago County, where Oshkosh is the county seat and is nowhere close to that bridge.

Edit: having problems with the formatting.  It is the 2nd photo in the above set.

[on_wisconsin]

Some aerials from this past week:


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page


WisDOT/ MnDOT/ St. Croix Crossing Facebook page

[Mdcastle]

IMG_5989 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5981 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5976 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5968 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5966 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5951 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5922 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_5924 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

Went on one of the bridge cruises. Mn/DOT and WisDOT representatives were on hand providing narration and answering questions. A few notes:

*Question was asked why it was design-bid-build instead of design-build. The answer was basically they didn't trust a single contractor for a unique design of this magnitude, they didn't mention that design-build is illegal under Wisconsin law.

*There's a $5 million incentive for the contractor for "on time, no claims, no excuses". A question was asked what a claim was, and the example was the Wakota bridge design flaw was a major one. A current example of what may become a claim is a lot of the forms are being built by a small company in Tennessee. The company owner died and the chief engineer quit, so getting the forms in a timely manner is obviously becoming an issue.

*Everything is right on schedule, they hope to start installing deck pieces this fall. All piers will be built to the full height, and work on the towers will start. The river span deck pieces are being cast in a climate controlled facility at Grey Cloud Island and will continue through the winter, the pieces for the Minnesota approach are being cast outdoors on site and will cease when it gets too cold to pour concrete.

*The metal crossbeams are temporary, 3 of the 5 are installed, and the first two will be dismantled and reused for the final two piers.

*It was pointed out that it looks like nothing is being done on the Wisconsin side, you have to drive over there to see it, from the Minnesota side it just looks like a thin spot in the trees.

*Several questions about if the bridge could be expanded to more lanes (no widening, but they could possibly narrow the lanes and take over the shoulder) and why there are still stoplights on the Minnesota side (quick to blame Oak Park Heights).

*Question why the piers were hollow- it was part of the aesthetic design and supposed to look like reeds (although my sister thought they looked like tuning forks). Question about ornamental lighting- I think I heard that per the aesthetic design only lights inside the piers are being included, but empty conduits are being run for more lights if they're desired in the future.

[I94RoadRunner]

Yes, Oak Park Heights was afraid that if MN 36 got converted to a full freeway with buttonhook interchanges that the local business would be harmed. I bet that it will be necessary to go back and make the Oak Park Heights section of MN 36 into a full freeway in the future when more people start moving over to New Richmond and Somerset commuting into Minnesota .....

[froggie]

Part of it is also budgetary.  MnDOT doesn't have the funds to upgrade 36 to a freeway between North St. Paul and Stillwater, even though they have long wanted to.

[Mdcastle]

IMG_6663 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[Mdcastle]

FYI, here is the land in question:


I thought I had read somewhere that WisDOT plans on using a portion of the old ROW as a casting and staging yard. Then selling the land when that stage is complete.

I've been doing research for an article, and realized this actually isn't the "Braun" ROW, it's the 1995 FEIS right-of-way (that alternative got as far as final design and acquisition and clearing of the ROW before being stopped. The Braun ROW was never acquired and was farther north. It's the blue dashed "consensus alternative" on this map.
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/pdfs/stillw_xingPastAlts.pdf

The 2006 Stakeholders Group / Supplemental FEIS moved it to about where the "south tunnel" alternative is on the map. This made the bridge more perpendicular to the river and slightly shorter, but necessitated that 100 degree turn in Wisconsin since the land in the middle had been lost to development.

I found the Sellwood Bridge website, this is one idea of what the "2nd Braun Bridge" might have looked like had it been built.

[Mdcastle]

Part I on a series of articles I'm writing about the bridge.
http://streets.mn/2015/02/07/the-stillwater-bridge-story/

[Roadguy]

Part I on a series of articles I'm writing about the bridge.
http://streets.mn/2015/02/07/the-stillwater-bridge-story/

Great job finding the information.  Well done!

[Mdcastle]

Part II
http://streets.mn/2015/04/07/the-stillwater-bridge-story-ii/
Part III
http://streets.mn/2015/04/22/the-stillwater-bridge-story-iii/
Part IV
http://streets.mn/2015/05/03/the-stillwater-bridge-story-iv/



Horizontal construction over the river starting
IMG_7381 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[hobsini2]

Part II
http://streets.mn/2015/04/07/the-stillwater-bridge-story-ii/
Part III
http://streets.mn/2015/04/22/the-stillwater-bridge-story-iii/
Part IV
http://streets.mn/2015/05/03/the-stillwater-bridge-story-iv/



Horizontal construction over the river starting
IMG_7381 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

Nice. What was the time table again for finishing the bridge?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Nice. What was the time table again for finishing the bridge?

Fall 2016. Wisconsin is realigning WIS 64 to tie in.

[hobsini2]

I knew that about 64. Just didn't recall the date.

[Mdcastle]

A general schedule:


1950s-2012 endless bickering, controversy, funding problems, and lawsuits.
2012: Design work starts
2013 Foundations built, MN approach work starts, Design work completed
2014 Vertical construction starts, MN approach work continues, WI approach works starts
Early 2015: Horizontal construction starts, MN approach work completed, WI approach work continues
Late 2015: Vertical construction completed, horizontal construction and WI approach work continues.
2016 Horizontal construction completed, WI approach work completed, bridge opens in the fall.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I got an email today that the Minnesota-side approach work is now finished.

[Mdcastle]

First tower has risen to it's full height.
IMG_7769 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[CtrlAltDel]

I love all these pictures of the bridge going up. Please keep them coming!

[Mdcastle]

There's quite a few I don't post here as to not clutter up the board and laziness on my Flickr page. Two more pictures from Saturday, of new signs,

IMG_7751 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_7728 by North Star Highways, on Flickr

[DaBigE]

  Those have got to be some of the ugliest border radii I've seen in a long time. Someone needs a lesson on how to use the offset command in CAD.
Could they get any sloppier on the temporary cover? It almost fits.

[Milwaukee, WY]

The opening has been delayed, according to MnDOT.  See here: http://m.jsonline.com/news/bridge-connecting-minnesota-wisconsin-delayed-until-2017-b99571008z1-324535601.html

[Mdcastle]

Some from the last trip of the year
IMG_8389 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8392 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8394 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8395 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8397 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8402 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8406 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8408 by North Star Highways, on Flickr
IMG_8409 by North Star Highways, on Flickr