Archives for May 2024

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Construction work to replace the Blatnik Bridge will likely begin in 2026, require closing the existing bridge for four years, and will produce a structure that runs along the same alignment with some new safety features.

MnDOT provided those updates on the estimated $1.8 billion project Wednesday night during a public meeting in Superior.

Meeting recap video HERE

A federal Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) document issued this March allowed MnDOT to select its preferred alternative: building along the existing alignment while adding multi-use pedestrian lanes along the bridge and a new interchange system on the Wisconsin side.

Minnesota and Wisconsin are working jointly on the project, but MnDOT is the lead agency.

“I think that was really encouraging to see the two states working together and the amount of involvement the public still has. It’s a necessary plan, and I think it’s a good plan. There’s not an easy way to build that big of a bridge,” Douglas County Board member Dennis Cummings told WDIO-TV.

Preliminary design work on the bridge will run into 2026, final designs will go into 2027, and the current Blatnik bridge will then likely close from 2027-2031, MnDOT announced Wednesday.  Closing the bridge during the entirety of construction is safer for traffic and workers alike, and allows crews to work on any part of the project at any time, MnDOT District Engineer Duane Hill said.

MnDOT also intends to use a Design-Build model to complete the project.  The agency expects to do about 30% of the design, then select a contractor/engineer pairing to take it the rest of the way.

“It actually will have the shortest construction duration and the lowest overall cost. So those were kind of the main factors on why we chose that alignment,” Hill said.

PORTAGE, Wis. — It’s pretty tough to get millions of vehicles and billions of dollars in freight across the state without crossing the Wisconsin River.  Work to make sure that stays possible along a key stretch of Interstate begins this year.

Monday, WisDOT and Senator Tammy Baldwin held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wisconsin River Bridge along I-39/90/94 in Columbia County.

The $135 million project will replace what’s technically two bridges and reconstruct the Interstate along an approximate 1.5-mile stretch in both directions. An $80 million federal grant will help pay for the work.

“Replacing these bridges will help ensure that billions of dollars worth of products can get to market efficiently.  This means that mom and pop shops will have products on their shelves the next day.  This means that families traveling for their summer vacation can get to their destination on time and safely,” Senator Baldwin said during a news conference at the site.

According to WisDOT, the bridge carries more than 90,000 vehicles a day during the summer and more than $100 billion in goods cross it every year.

Construction should be done in 2027.

A public meeting next week will set the stage for actual construction to begin on replacing the Blatnik Bridge between Superior and Duluth.

MnDOT and WisDOT will hold a joint informational session Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 5 p.m. in the Superior Public Library.  The meeting will cover the latest construction schedule, various federal documents necessary for the project’s approval, and a question-and-answer session.  Full-on construction won’t begin until 2026, but there will be soil testing and preparation work beginning this summer.

In early March, the Federal Highway Administration signed off on a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) document, which states the bridge project will not adversely affect the environment or people in the area.

The 1.5-mile Blatnik Bridge was built in 1961 and is nearing the end of its life.  Without a replacement, MnDOT says the bridge would have to close by 2030.  It also has a high crash rate and has been posted for weight restrictions since 2019.

About 28,000 vehicles use the bridge every day and it helps service the largest port on the Great Lakes.

MnDOT announced late last year it would use the Design-Build method to replace the bridge.

The new Blatnik will run along the same general alignment as the current bridge, but will add a protected multi-use path. That alternative was one of five options the department considered.

A video update will appear on this page for anyone who cannot attend the in-person meeting.