May 20, 2026

By Lane Kimble

HUDSON — Shannon Zimmerman has crossed the St. Croix River on the I-94 bridges too many times to count.

He’s just never experienced it like this before.

“It’s stimulation overload.  There’s cars going every which direction,” Zimmerman said.

The state representative from River Falls found himself walking on the freeway bridge Monday afternoon.  Prime contractor Lunda Construction showed Zimmerman around their multi-stage worksite as part of the latest WTBA of Tomorrow site visit.

Lunda is replacing modular joints, doing an epoxy overlay, and painting the bridges that connect Hudson, Wisconsin with Lakeland and Stillwater, Minnesota.

The project maintains three lanes of traffic going east. Meanwhile, one westbound lane crosses over to the eastbound bridge and another westbound lane is open on the other side of the work zone.

“It’s one thing to be in a vehicle when you’re going through that zone, it’s a very different thing to be outside that vehicle,” Zimmerman (R-River Falls) told WTBA. “It made me think about the safety element for the workers who are out there every single day.”

Zimmerman got to meet some of those workers, including Lance Wallis, Jason Sterry, and Lunda Area Manager Josh Simonson.

“I just wanted him to see the challenges that sometimes we’re put in,” Simonson said.  “When we’re trying to get concrete truck deliveries and full-sized semis to deliver equipment, it gets challenging.”

Between 80,000 and 90,000 vehicles cross the river daily, serving as a direct artery between the Twin Cities and the rapidly growing western part of Wisconsin.  Crews are reminded of that volume by the constant whoosh of traffic going by on both sides.

“People get in these tight traffic jams, it actually slows them down, which is nice.  Not so nice for the traveling public, but there’s always people that are not paying attention or speeding, so there’s always a risk there,” Simonson said.

All four stages are on track to be done in October.

The nearly $10 million price tag and the temporary traffic congestion are well worth it to Zimmerman, especially after seeing it from a whole new perspective.

“When you can see the work that happens in a committee room hundreds of miles away and now you’re seeing the real work and the result of that, it’s incredibly gratifying,” Zimmerman said of his tour.

“There’s a few things you don’t ever compromise on: public safety and our roadways.”