Via the Minnesota Department of Transportation:
With the return of warm weather, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will resume the Stillwater Lift Bridge lift schedule at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 15. The schedule was changed this year following a test revision last summer by the U.S. Coast Guard and comments from the public.
The Lift Bridge now will be staffed full time from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight seven days a week until the end of the year’s schedule, sometime around Oct. 15.
MnDOT will respond to special openings after 12 midnight every day on a two-hour notice basis. Boaters must call MnDOT at 651-234-7110 a minimum of two hours in advance to schedule a bridge lift outside the regularly scheduled lifts. Any requests received by marine radio will be relayed by the bridge tender to the dispatcher.
During the periods of the day when the bridge is staffed, bridge tenders will monitor channel 16 on the marine band radio. Upon receiving a call on channel 16, conversations will be switched to channel 14.
During rehabilitation of the Stillwater Lift bridge, efforts will be made to minimize impacts to river traffic during the navigation season. Later this summer, span six, which is located east of the lift bridge span, will be floated out of its current location to provide an opening for boats to use while the lift bridge span is being repaired.
