Until May, the Stillwater Lift Bridge Is a Weekday Sidewalk and a Weekend Deck
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
MnDOT set the Stillwater Lift Bridge's final scheduled lift of 2026 for 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20. That's five days after the Coast Guard's regular May 15 to Oct. 15 lift window closes. Work to replace the part of the bridge that does the lifting was scheduled to begin a day earlier, on Monday, Oct. 19. MnDOT's Oct. 13 release says the work should be done by mid-May 2027.
That means the bridge runs on two schedules all winter. Monday through Friday it's a single sidewalk next to a fenced work zone. Saturday and Sunday the full width opens back up. If the river loop is part of your week, plan around that split until spring.
MnDOT's crews work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The south-side sidewalk stays open the whole time. The former driving surface is fenced off along the length of the bridge. The release says the fence "will remain in place throughout the project to keep pedestrians and bicyclists out of the work area during the week and then reopen on weekends." One reading is that the fence stays up and the work area opens to walkers and riders on Saturdays and Sundays. If a weekend outing depends on the full deck, look before you commit your group to it.
| Weekdays, Mon.–Fri. | Weekends | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew hours | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | No scheduled work |
| South sidewalk | Open | Open |
| Former driving surface | Fenced off as a work area | Reopens, per MnDOT |
| Span position | Down unless a boater has requested a lift | Down unless a boater has requested a lift |
Once the bridge is no longer staffed after Oct. 20, the span stays down until spring unless someone asks for a lift. Boaters have to call MnDOT at 651-234-7110 at least 24 hours ahead to schedule one. For people on foot, that makes the bridge's motion predictable. For the rest of the season it moves only when a boat has booked it a day in advance.
MnDOT calls the bridge's festoon electrical cable "problematic." That cable powers the motor that lifts the span, and the drive motor is being replaced along with it. The same project also replaces the steel platforms, ladders and railings. MnDOT's 2026 metro construction list puts the Hwy. 36 lift bridge electrical cable project at $2.44 million.
The timing explains the weekday and weekend split. Work on the lifting machinery can only happen while the span is supposed to stay down, and the bridge is staffed only during lift season. Starting the day before the final lift gives crews the whole stretch from late October to spring. Lifts are scheduled to resume in spring 2027, the same season the maintenance is set to wrap up. The construction list shows a September to December 2026 window for the cable work. MnDOT's own release gives the later date, mid-May 2027, so that's the one to plan around.
The bridge is one half of a crossing. MnDOT describes it as part of a nearly five-mile bicycle and pedestrian loop that connects Minnesota and Wisconsin across the St. Croix. Discover Stillwater puts the St. Croix River Crossing Loop Trail at 4.7 miles. The route crosses on the historic Lift Bridge and on the St. Croix Crossing, then comes back to downtown Stillwater.
The loop has two crossings, so where you start decides whether the Lift Bridge leg falls early or late in your walk. Here are the parking spots listed for the trail:
On a weekday, starting at 1315 Main St. S. puts the St. Croix Crossing first and the Lift Bridge near the end of the loop. That's the leg where you'll share the south sidewalk alongside an active work zone during crew hours. A walk that reaches the Lift Bridge before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. misses the crew entirely, though the fence stays up. On Saturdays and Sundays, starting at Lowell Park puts the Lift Bridge first, while the deck is open.
Winter changes the trail too. The Loop Trail has no published winter maintenance plan, so check conditions before heading out after a snowfall.
If you start or finish on the Minnesota side, Main Street is right there. Discover Stillwater's downtown directory lists Greenbridge Coffee Shop at 209 Main St. S. as steps from the Lift Bridge and the bike trails, with Herman's Electric Bike Rental at the back of the building. Leo's Grill & Malt Shop is listed at 131 Main St. S., at Main and Chestnut. Freight House Restaurant, at 305 Water St. S., is listed with a view of the Lift Bridge. Hours change once the weather turns, so check with each spot before you build a walk around a stop there.
The weekend deck and Stillwater's late-fall calendar line up. Both of the big downtown events before December fall on Saturdays and Sundays, when MnDOT says the bridge's work area reopens.
Both weekends make an easy pairing with a Saturday or Sunday crossing on the open deck. On weekdays, the south sidewalk still gets you to Wisconsin and back. Expect to share the bridge with a work crew until mid-May.
Winter is also when a lot of people start thinking about the following year. If you'd like to talk through what a move within Stillwater or to the other side of the St. Croix might look like on your own timeline, we're happy to start that conversation now, with no pressure and no deadline. Reach out to Elisia Drewelow and the Minnesota Home Girls team any day of the week, weekends included. Click Contact Us and we'll find a time.
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