The Minnesota Department of Transportation is set to close the Stillwater Lift Bridge on Friday due to the rising St. Croix River.

Crews blocked access on both ends of the lift bridge around 7 a.m., stopping pedestrians and cyclists from going across the river as well. Meanwhile, heavy material was placed on the two stationary ends of the lift bridge around 9 a.m. to weigh it down and prevent movement due to flooding.

When they’re done, they’ll fully raise the lift span and boats will be allowed to pass through.

A graph from NOAA shows the St. Croix River in Stillwater is around 83 feet but is expected to hit the moderate flood stage by next Thursday when the water will be around 88 feet.

The river crested at about 89 feet in April 2023. It was all hands-on deck to build a sandbag wall near the downtown area to keep water away from businesses.

Early Friday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the following highways have closed across the state as of 8 a.m. due to flooding:

• Westbound I-90 from Worthington to Luverne
• Eastbound I-90 from Luverne to Adrian
• Highway 19 east of Henderson
• Highway 91 north of Adrian
• Highway 13 south of Waseca
• Highway 86 two miles south of I-90 (one lane is closed)
• Highway 75 from Luverne to the Iowa border (one lane is closed)

The current forecast from Minnesota’s Weather Authority shows heavy rain in the area for Friday and Saturday, but things will start drying out next week. An interactive radar can be found by CLICKING HERE.