St. Croix Bridge work relying a lot on local labor

The construction of the new St. Croix River bridge is relying heavily on local labor, a strategy that officials say keeps money in the community and takes advantage of well-established relationships.

A St. Paul Pioneer Press report says steel will be installed by a contractor in Hudson, Wis., and painting will be done by a New Hope-based business.

The bridge project includes a new span across the river between Oak Park Heights, Minn., and St. Joseph, Wis. It's scheduled to be complete in 2016.

Jon Chiglo is a project director with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He says using local laborers makes sense because they're familiar with the environment in which they're working. They also already have relationships established with the other subcontractors.

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