St. Croix River bridge timeline

October: The National Park Service rules that the proposed bridge would have an adverse effect on the St. Croix River.

February: Gov. Mark Dayton says all proposals for a new bridge near Stillwater are now open to discussion.

March: U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., vows to fight for a new bridge, while her colleague, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., says she'll do everything in her power to defeat Bachmann's effort in Congress.

March: Former Vice President Walter Mondale calls the bridge plan "a dangerous precedent" and says proposals by Bachmann and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., undermine a law he co-authored in 1968 that protects wild and scenic rivers nationwide.

March: President Obama signs a bill approving an exemption to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, permitting construction of a bridge over the St. Croix.

February: Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments announce that construction on approach roads for the $646 million bridge project will start in April 2014.

2014

February: Cities and townships on both sides of the river say they "anticipate major economic growth" from the bridge.

August: Downtown Stillwater business owners begin planning for a new bridge.

September: Construction problems delay the scheduled 2016 bridge opening to 2017.

2017

August: Bridge scheduled to open to traffic.