Two DBA bridge projects in Minnesota opened to traffic recently. The St. Croix Crossing near Stillwater and the Highway 53 Relocation in Virginia. Both projects are milestones for MnDOT. The St. Croix Crossing is the first extradosed bridge in the Midwest and only the second extradosed bridge in the United States. The new Highway 53 Bridge is the tallest bridge in Minnesota.
Following a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on the morning of Wednesday, August 2nd, the St. Croix Crossing saw its first traffic later that evening and has already alleviated traffic congestion in downtown Stillwater, as intended. The interstate project was also heralded as a noteworthy example of government cooperation by The Wall Street Journal.
After officially breaking ground just shy of two years ago, the new Highway 53 bridge opened to traffic on September 15th. A dedication ceremony was held underneath the bridge that morning with Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and Congressman Rick Nolan in attendance. In anticipation of the new bridge, the iron range quad cities of Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, and Mountain Iron held a four-day, multi-event festive, Bridge Daze, in August.