Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Highway 243 Osceola Bridge

Franconia Township MN and Osceola WI

About this project

Highway 243 Bridge over the Saint Croix National and Scenic Riverway between Highway 95 in Franconia Township and Highway 35 intersection in Osceola, Wisconsin project location map

Hwy 243 project location map.

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We are working in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to replace the Hwy 243 Osceola Bridge over the St. Croix National and Scenic Riverway. The current bridge was built in 1953 and is scheduled to be replaced. MnDOT and WisDOT completed an evaluation of the bridge and its components and decided not to reuse any portion of the existing structure.

After three years of evaluating options and gathering input from government stakeholders and the public, the project team has chosen the current bridge location as the preferred site for the new bridge. Currently, we are studying what type of bridge should be built. The project team is working on the bridge design, finishing up the Visual Quality Manual and working to get the environmental approvals needed to rebuild the bridge. We expect to have renderings of what the bridge will look like and plans to present these renderings, along with an updated construction timeline at a future meeting in summer/fall 2024.

Summary of work

The purpose of this project is to maintain a reliable highway connection over the St. Croix River for Hwy 243 between Washington/Chisago counties in Minnesota and the Village of Osceola and Polk County in Wisconsin. The project team is working with federal, state, and local interests to minimize impacts to the St. Croix River and other natural resources in the area.

  • Project needs:
    • Address bridge conditions
    • Evaluate pedestrian bridge crossing by foot and by bicycle
    • Address drainage conditions
  • Additional considerations:
    • Bridge traffic during construction
    • River navigation and access during construction
    • Osceola Landing access
    • Hwy 243 Wayside Rest on the Minnesota side of the river
    • Hwy 243 Emergency Pull-off on the Wisconsin side of the river

Traffic impacts

This map illustrates detour routes that would likely be used for a future temporary bridge closure.

Detour routes that would be used for a future temporary bridge closure.
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All traffic impacts are tentative and weather dependent.

Upcoming

Information about upcoming traffic impacts will be provided as details become available. Motorists can expect lane, road and bridge closures throughout construction. There will be a period in which the bridge will need to be closed. It is anticipated that the bridge will be closed from sometime in 2027 through 2028. The duration of that closure is one of the many items that will be considered during the alternative evaluation.

Potential alternate routes/detours

The project team has identified Hwy 8 and Hwy 36 as two alternate driving routes that motorists can use when the bridge is closed. The travel time between Hwy 243 and Hwy 8 is approximately 15 minutes on either side of the bridge. The travel time between Hwy 243 and Hwy 36 is approximately 30 minutes on either side of the bridge.