Via the MN Department of Transportation:
With winter right around the corner, most work on the Stillwater Lift Bridge has been suspended for the season. And all of the construction trailers and other equipment and supplies have been moved out of the parking lot along Lowell Park just north of Chestnut St.
The lift bridge remains barricaded at both ends and the public is cautioned to remain off the bridge and out of the construction area.
As weather permits, limited work will continue on the lift span of the bridge. Early next spring, we will replace parts of the lift mechanism used to raise and lower the lift span as work wraps up on the bridge.
The loop trail and St. Croix Crossing bridge will be plowed by the city of Stillwater on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River. However, although the loop trail on the Wisconsin side of the river is open for winter uses such as hiking, snowshoeing and fat-tire biking, it will not be plowed. St. Croix County has placed signs on the trail notifying users that the county will not maintain the trail during the winter.
We anticipate repairs will be completed sometime in early spring before the Lift and Loop Grand Opening celebration May 15 and 16, 2020. More information will be sent out later this winter.
The lift bridge is being converted to a bicycle/pedestrian crossing that will become part of a nearly five-mile “loop trail” system connecting the new river bridge with the historic bridge and other regional trails. The lift bridge will continue to operate and allow boat navigation beneath.
If you’d like more information about the Stillwater Lift Bridge project, please visit: mndot.gov/metro/projects/liftbridge.