News Release

Roseville, Minn.—The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (Mn/DOT and WisDOT) will be releasing the 2004 Amended Final Scoping Document on Monday, March 29, 2004. These documents include information on four St. Croix River Crossing alternatives that will be studied in greater detail in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS).

In addition to the No-Build Alternative, Alternative B-1 (the south ravine option of Alternative B), B, C, D (revised) and E will be studied in the SDEIS (figure 3B). A tunnel option underneath the St. Croix River, one alternative (Alternative A) and one alternative option (the original alignment B) have been eliminated from further consideration and will not be studied in the SDEIS. Alternative B-1 would include a new four lane bridge on the southernmost alignment of all those considered for this project. Alternative C would include construction of a new four-lane bridge on an alignment midway between B-1 alignment and the existing Lift Bridge. Alternative D would include construction of a new four-lane bridge south of the existing Lift Bridge. Alternative D would include construction of a new four-lane bridge south of the existing Lift Bridge, accommodating both eastbound and westbound traffic with through-traffic lanes in each direction. Alternative E would use the existing Lift Bridge as a two-lane one-way roadway for westbound traffic and include construction of a new one-way bridge south of the Lift Bridge for two lanes of eastbound traffic.

Copies of the 2004 Amended Final Scoping Decision Document are available at the following locations: the Bayport Public Library (Bayport), the Carleton A. Friday Memorial Library (New Richmond), the Hudson Area Joint Library (Hudson), St. Joseph Town Hall (St. Joseph), the Somerset Public Library (Somerset), the Stillwater Public Library (Stillwater), the Washington County Government Center Library (Stillwater), Mn/DOT Library (395 John Ireland Boulevard, St. Paul), the Environmental Conservation Library (Minneapolis), and the Wis/DOT Planning Library (Madison).

Copies of the 2004 Amended Final Scoping Document are also available in CD-ROM format upon request from Mn/DOT. The SD/DSDD document is available for review in PDF format on the project web site: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/documents.html

To develop a stakeholder resolution process, the St. Croix River Crossing Project resumed in June 2003. The stakeholder group has focused on identifying alternatives and issues to be addressed in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Those potential alternatives are summarized in the 2003 Amended Scoping Document and 2004 Final Scoping Decision Document.

Future public involvement opportunities will occur in summer 2004 at public information meetings where there will be an opportunity to share technical information completed to date and at SDEIS public hearings to be held in the fall of 2004. The meetings will feature preliminary layouts for the alternatives, including proposed improvements to Minnesota Highways 36 and 95 and Wisconsin Highways 64 and 35. In addition, there will be information regarding the on-going stakeholder resolution process, tentative schedules and descriptions of environmental studies completed.

Community members are encouraged to watch for further details and attend these meetings to learn more about the proposed alternatives and provide their official public input regarding the alternatives and related impacts as studied in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.

More information is available on the St. Croix River Crossing web site located at www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/documents.html

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Congestion information also has been updated for the Web site to include the eastern segment of I-94, between Johnson Pkwy. and Manning Ave. Motorists may view it online by logging onto www.511mn.org, selecting “Twin Cities Metro” and clicking “Traffic.”