Minnesota Vacation Destination: The New St. Croix Crossing Bridge Construction?

Tourism is big business here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, thanks to all the natural beauty our state possesses in its lakes, streams, rivers and woods. But here's one popular vacation destination I'll bet you probably haven't heard of: Construction of the new St. Croix Crossing bridge near Stillwater.

After years of challenges, the new bridge site was finally approved a few years ago and is a joint project between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It'll link Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, and St. Joseph, Wisconsin, and serve as an alternative to the Stillwater lift bridge.

But according to BringMeTheNews.com, tourists are flocking to the bridge site near Stillwater for the second straight year, to get a look at the huge project and hear from MnDOT engineers about how the new structure is designed and being constructed.

The story says, "Two times a month, hundreds of curious passengers hop on one of the St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. boats to learn about the construction process from one of the project’s engineers, the tour website says. The 90-minute tour is $10 for adults, $6 for children, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s website says. MnDOT decided to set up the boat tours last summer because there was no place on shore for the public to see the construction safely. Because the tours were so popular, St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. and transportation officials decided to continue them, adding more trips and using the biggest boat in the fleet to hold more people, the AP notes."

Hmm. It does sound kind of interesting. I've got some time off coming, maybe I should go check it it out!