McCollum and Ellison to Introduce Fiscally Responsible St. Croix River Bridge Bill as Common Sense Compromise
For Immediate Release: November 15, 2011
Contact: Maria Reppas, (202) 225-6631 / (202) 527-0149 maria.reppas@mail.house.gov
Legislation will protect taxpayers from the $700 million "mega-bridge" while allowing for the faster construction of a less expensive bridge
Washington, DC – Two Minnesota Members of Congress, Rep. Betty McCollum (MN04-DFL) and Rep. Keith Ellison (MN05-DFL), will introduce legislation tomorrow called the Fiscally Responsible St. Croix River Crossing Authorization Act to allow for a less expensive and appropriately scaled bridge to be constructed to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The legislation includes environmental mitigation, a limitation on federal funding, and allows for an accelerated project timeline for construction.
Most importantly, the McCollum-Ellison bill will protect taxpayers from the exotic $700 million "extradosed" mega-bridge (carrying only 18,000 cars daily), which is proposed in H.R. 850/S. 1134. The McCollum-Ellison legislation prohibits the use of federal funds for the construction of any bridge project exceeding $574 million in total cost.
At a time of state and federal budget cuts and with 1,149 structurally deficient bridges in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, this legislation addresses a concern that the proposed $700 million St. Croix bridge is simply too expensive and will leave hundreds of Minnesota bridges in need of repair or replacement for years to come.
"Building the biggest, most exotic and expensive bridge possible makes no sense when we have tremendous unmet transportation needs and taxpayers expect responsible investments. This legislation will be a compromise that allows an appropriately-scaled bridge to be built, not a gold-plated interstate bridge," McCollum said.
McCollum and Ellison plan on introducing their legislation tomorrow prior to a meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and members of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Congressional delegations to discuss the St. Croix River crossing project.
Congresswoman Betty McCollum serves on the House Appropriations and Budget Committees
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