Efforts in Washington to allow the construction of a long-delayed bridge over the St. Croix River took a big step forward Monday when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the controversial project.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's office said companion legislation for the bipartisan proposal must now win approval in the House in order for Minnesota and Wisconsin to go forward with building the four-lane bridge south of Stillwater. 

"This is a milestone for the St. Croix bridge project," Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in the statement. "The residents and businesses in Stillwater and along the St. Croix River Valley deserve a safe, more efficient alternative to the current 80-year-old lift bridge, which is outdated for the needs of the region." 

Klobuchar has spearheaded the effort in the Senate to pass the bill, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Herb Kohl, D-Wis. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also support the proposal. The House version of the bill is sponsored by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. 

The freeway-style bridge, with an estimated price tag of $574 million to $690 million, requires an exemption from the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

The new bridge, first proposed decades ago, would replace the aging Stillwater Lift Bridge as the main Minnesota-Wisconsin crossing north of Interstate 94 and divert thousands of daily commuters from Stillwater's historic downtown, routing them instead to Minnesota 36 through Oak Park Heights. Supporters say a new bridge is needed to address traffic congestion in downtown Stillwater and accommodate growth in western Wisconsin. 

Plans for the bridge came to an abrupt halt in 2010 after the National Park Service reversed an opinion it issued five years earlier and ruled that the bridge would conflict with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

The decision also prompted environmental groups to propose a smaller, alternative bridge, an idea the Minnesota Department of Transportation has faulted. 

To address environmental concerns with the original bridge design, Klobuchar's office said the legislation includes previously identified measures aimed at minimizing the impact on the federally protected St. Croix. 

Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki said the Senate's action was "a great day for Stillwater." 

But Oak Park Heights Mayor David Beaudet, who opposes the bridge plan, said it fell short of a recent request by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to fashion a truly consensus bridge plan. 

Oak Park Heights opposes a freeway-style bridge because it fears being stuck with costs associated with relocating utilities and reconfiguring traffic signals. 

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who is also a proponent of a smaller bridge, said a compromise will be needed in the House because a freeway-style span is "bad fiscal policy, bad transportation policy and bad environmental policy."

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