U.S. House set to vote on St. Croix River bridge
Supporters of a new bridge near Stillwater have been pushing the concept for decades. They believe they can finally reach their goal if the House votes to exempt part of the St. Croix from its status as a Wild and Scenic River. But the bridge has its critics. They're using financial arguments in hopes of rallying opposition.
The Senate has approved the $690 million bridge project and the House will vote on it Thursday. Wednesday's floor debate recapped arguments for and against the bridge,
The sponsor of the measure, Republican Michele Bachmann, has predicted it will pass. Among Minnesota's delegation, a majority support it with Democrats Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison the leading critics.
Bachmann says if the bridge is defeated, responsibility will rest on McCollum's shoulders and taxpayers will have to pay more to build a future replacement for today's 80-year-old lift bridge.
But McCollum has her own financial argument, saying the bridge on the table now is bigger and more expensive than necessary and would drive up property taxes.
Stay tuned.
