January 26, 2024
By Lane Kimble
SUPERIOR, Wis. — He may not have returned with a giant novelty check, but President Joe Biden didn’t come empty handed for his second visit to Superior in two years.
Thursday, the president formally announced in-person the news that broke a few days prior: Wisconsin and Minnesota will receive more than $1 billion in federal funding to replace the aging Blatnik Bridge.
“For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done. Until today.” Biden said at Superior’s Earth Rider Brewery after visiting with iron workers and local officials at the bridge, according to the Associated Press. “This bridge is important, but the story we’re writing is much bigger than that.”
This past summer, Wisconsin pledged $400 million (mostly in bonds) for the joint replacement project through its 2023-25 state budget. Minnesota, which will be the lead agency, did the same.
“With the help of this significant federal grant, we are building a safer, more efficient, and more reliable structure for the next generation,” Gov. Tony Evers, who was at the president’s visit, said in a press release.
More than 33,000 vehicles cross the Blatnik every day, serving the busiest port on the Great Lakes and the surrounding area.
However, the bridge is more than 60 years old, is deteriorating, and has been posted for weight since 2019, meaning overweight freight loads can’t cross it.
Last year, MnDOT announced it would use a Design Build model to replace the bridge, with main bridge work beginning in 2027. Work will also include a new interchange on the Wisconsin side connecting Highway 53 to I-535.
“There’s a lot of approach work on the Wisconsin side and even on the bridge itself. I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for Wisconsin contractors to participate in that project,” WisDOT Sec. Craig Thompson told WTBA last week when asked about Minnesota being the lead agency.
The president’s visit coincided with the announcement of 36 other projects receiving federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, according to ARTBA. However, the Blatnik was far and away the largest award of the day.
