MnDOT to replace Highway 36/64 St. Croix Crossing red navigation lights next week
ROSEVILLE, Minn. – MnDOT Electrical Services staff will replace all 10 RED navigation lights located near the bottom of each of the 10 bridge piers on the Highway 36/64 St. Croix Crossing bridge starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday August 5th. Navigation light replacement will begin on the Minnesota side of the river and move from pier to pier towards Wisconsin until the work is completed. Electrical technicians hope to complete all work in one day, working between eight to 10 hours.
The electrical crew will work off a 13’ X 40’ barge in the river to access the lights on each pier. A 16’ boat will be used to move the barge in to position at each location.
There will be no impacts to vehicle traffic on the bridge and there will be minimal impacts to the waterway since the barge will be next to each pier and the river is very wide in this area. There could be some minor, short duration impacts to the public boat access located under the bridge on the Minnesota side since the first piers are close to the boat ramp. However, there should be ample space for boats to launch while crews are working.
Red navigation lights are located on the bridge piers about 15-20 feet above water level and are located on either side of green lights located higher up on the bridge deck wall. The green lights mark the navigation channels and red lights on either side demarcate the edges of the navigation channel. Due to its height, the bridge also has FAA air obstruction lights on top of the bridge piers, above the cables. These lights are not being replaced.
NOTE: This is the first time the red navigation lights have been replaced since the bridge opened in August of 2017. Although one of the 10 lights has burned out, the LED navigation lights used on the bridge are sealed, which extends their service life.
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