From The St. Paul Pioneer Press:
The mitigation package to offset the environmental effects of the St. Croix River bridge included a $1.2 million allocation for the creation of a boat launch in Oak Park Heights just downstream of the bridge. The new $693 million bridge opened on Aug. 2, 2017, but the launch has yet to materialize. Plans originally called for the boat launch to open for public use in the fall of 2019 or spring 2020. State officials have made significant progress on plans for the boat launch, and that it could open later this year. Officials from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources say they are close to resolving issues concerning access to the site. The road leading to the boat launch is a private access road that serves the St. Croix Valley Wastewater Treatment Facility; the road also crosses a Union Pacific railroad track. Union Pacific officials requested that the access road to the boat launch be moved off railroad land to property owned by the Metropolitan Council and MnDOT. State and Met Council officials have agreed to do so, and the road is expected to be moved about 25 to 30 feet off railroad land. Officials are now working to resolve the project last hurdle, changing the designation of the railroad crossing from a private crossing to a public crossing.
A 2016 aerial image shows the future boat launch area, which will have 35 parking stalls adjacent to the downstream (right) side of the new St. Croix River bridge in Oak Park Heights. (Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Transportation) Plans call for a double-ramp boat launch, which will feature 35 angled boat-trailer parking slots.
To get to the launch, boaters will drive across the railroad crossing, go around a roundabout and then go down to the launch ramp, Skaar said. After their boat has been launched, boaters will drive their vehicles and trailers back up the road, go around the roundabout again and then park. All the parking will be angled toward the river, he said. When you come to leave, and you're going to retrieve your boat, you're going to come back to your vehicle, back up and just stage in line to pick up your boat and leave.
Construction is expected to take two or three months, depending on the weather, he said.
"There's really no excuse for not getting this old guy a place close to home to launch his boat" said Sheldon Ajax, 87, who keeps his 18-foot Lund Tyee fishing boat in his garage at Boutwells Landing Senior Living Complex in Oak Park Heights.
