I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3434 
To authorize a replacement for the lift bridge in Stillwater, Minnesota with 
necessary taxpayer protection measures to promote fiscal responsibility. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 16, 2011 
Ms. MCCOLLUM (for herself and Mr. ELLISON) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize a replacement for the lift bridge in Stillwater, 
Minnesota with necessary taxpayer protection measures 
to promote fiscal responsibility. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fiscally Responsible 
St. Croix River Crossing Authorization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The proposed St. Croix River Crossing 
Project between Minnesota and Wisconsin uses an 
‘‘extradosed’’ bridge design that could cost nearly 
$700,000,000 and expose taxpayers to the risk of 
cost overruns and delays. 
(2) The Federal Highway Administration in its 
St. Croix River Crossing Cost Estimate Review stat-
ed: ‘‘The river bridge extradosed type, aesthetics, 
configuration and constructability are major contrib-
utors to the risk associated with the project costs.’’ 
(3) The most expensive bridge built in Min-
nesota to date is the Interstate 35W Bridge in 
downtown Minneapolis, which was constructed in 
2008 at a cost of $260 million and serves approxi-
mately 140,000 vehicles per day, compared to the 
proposed St. Croix Crossing Project that will serve 
an estimated 18,000 cars per day if opened on 
schedule in 2016. 
(4) Federal and state funding for bridge repair 
and replacement is severely limited and must be uti-
lized as efficiently as possible to meet growing needs: 
the State of Minnesota has 1,149 bridges listed as 
structurally deficient, while the State of Wisconsin 
has 1,142 structurally deficient bridges. 
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(5) It is the responsibility of Congress to up-
hold the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1271), which protects 12,598 miles of 203 rivers in 
38 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF PROJECT WITH MITIGATION 
MEASURES. 
Notwithstanding section 7(a) of the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1278(a)) and subject to section 4 
of this Act, the head of an appropriate Federal agency 
or department may authorize and assist in the construc-
tion of a new bridge crossing for the St. Croix River, which 
is to be located not more than 7 miles north of the Inter-
state 94 bridge crossing, if mitigation measures deter-
mined by the Secretary of Interior are implemented to off-
set the environmental impacts identified in the September 
2010 evaluation and determination report prepared by the 
National Park Service pursuant to such section. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FUNDING. 
After the date of enactment of this Act, no Federal 
funds, including Federal highway formula funding, shall 
be provided for any St. Croix River bridge crossing be-
tween Minnesota and Wisconsin within 7 miles of the ex-
isting Interstate 94 Bridge with a total project cost in ex-
cess of $574,000,000. 
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SEC. 
5. 
STRATEGIES 
FOR 
ACCELERATING 
PROJECT 
TIMELINE. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit or 
discourage the use of ‘‘design-build’’ construction method-
ology, which some States utilize as a successful strategy 
for reducing construction timelines and containing project 
costs. 
Æ 
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