U.S. House Takes Up Stillwater Bridge Debate
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO/AP) -- The debate over building a new St. Croix River bridge in Stillwater picks up in the U.S. Capitol Wednesday.
Republican leaders placed the bill on the legislative calendar, and the House is expected to take it up Wednesday. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has warned Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann that he would direct state funding for the bridge elsewhere if it's not taken up by March 15.
The proposal is for a four-lane, highway-style bridge over the St. Croix River.
DFL Rep. Betty McCollum, who stands to inherit the bridge in redesigned congressional districts, sent correspondence to House colleagues Monday night, urging them to reject the legislation. Minnesota Public Radio News says McCollum calls the bridge a "monument to government waste."
The U.S. Senate has already passed the bill that exempts the $700 million dollar Stillwater bridge from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
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