U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is the latest to support a new four-lane bridge over the St. Croix River near Stillwater, Minn.

Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said over the weekend that economic activity would be held up if the bridge isn’t approved.

Environmentalists have been able to stop the project for decades. The National Park Service is the latest to reject it, saying the bridge would go against the St. Croix’s federal protection as a Wild and Scenic River.

But Wisconsin House members Sean Duffy and Ron Kind joined their Minnesota colleagues long ago to support a bill that nullifies the Park Service action and approves funding for the new bridge.

Now Johnson has joined Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar in proposing a similar bill on the Senate side.

“I love a pristine environment, but you do need bridges,” said Johnson. And he believes the proposed four-lane, $636 million structure can be built without hurting nature.

A new bridge would replace an 80-year-old lift bridge between Stillwater and Houlton.

Johnson said he rode over the bridge decades ago, and he thought then it wasn’t safe and “It’s not a thing of beauty.”

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