Title: St. Croix River bridge project now halfway finished - StarTribune.com
Headings: Birth of a bridge: St. Croix River project now halfway finished
StarTribune
Birth of a bridge: St. Croix River project now halfway finished
On both sides of St. Croix River, residents wait to see the impact.
Halfway home
Shaking heads

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Barges soon will float massive concrete spans, each weighing more than some commercial airliners, to the new St. Croix River bridge two miles south of Stillwater. From there, cranes will drop them into place to form Minnesota’s newest link to Wisconsin. In coming months, hundreds of sightseers on excursion boats will look on with interest at the completion of a bridge that’s already transforming a woodsy river valley by its colossal size. Never has a public works project put its stamp so dramatically on the nationally protected river: It’s a $646 million monument, including new connecting highways in both states, that 35 entities warred over for four decades. Now, with the 20-story bridge beginning to span the river and halfway to completion, it’s inspiring a variety of reactions, from admiration over its physical presence to confirmation that it stains a pristine river valley as opponents long feared. “The engineering side of it is an absolute marvel. To see it from the air is awe-inspiring,” said Mike Demulling, airport manager in New Richmond, Wis. “It reminds me of flying into New York City and seeing the George Washington Bridge. These are monuments that last hundreds of years.”