Gov. Walz, Gov. Evers Seek Federal Funds for Blatnik Bridge Project

TWIN PORTS — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced on Monday that their departments of transportation will seek over $1 billion in federal funding
to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior.

A statement from Walz said in part, “the Blatnik Bridge connects the Twin Ports communities and economies of Duluth and Superior – it provides a vital route for regional commerce, tourism, and emergency services.”

Evers stated in part,  “the bridge improvements will foster regional economic growth, but also bolster national supply chains and strengthen the reliability of the transportation network that serves hundreds of communities across Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota.:

The Blatnik Bridge is jointly owned and managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

It serves more than 33,000 cars per day. Each year, it carries nearly 265,000 trucks transporting $2.66 billion in domestic goods and $1.07 billion in international goods coming and going from 42 states and nine Canadian provinces.

The replacement project will improve safety and accommodate oversize and overweight loads.

Design work for the project, which includes a total estimated cost, is scheduled to begin in 2024.

Once a final design is selected, construction is planned to start in 2027 — if full funding is secured.

UPDATE (7:45 p.m. 8/21/2023): Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has voiced her support for the application.

“The Blatnik Bridge has been around for over sixty years and is in serious need of repairs” said Senator Klobuchar. “This bridge is critical to the regional economy and keeps our communities connected, which is why I am calling on the Administration to grant Minnesota and Wisconsin’s funding application to replace the bridge.”

Klobuchar adds she, along with fellow Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, wrote to President Biden to ask for his support in funding the project.  The three also accompanied President Biden when he visited the bridge while in Superior in 2022.