$1 Billion Dollars From Federal Government Committed to Blatnik Bridge Replacement

DULUTH, Minn.  — There was very exciting news from Washington on Monday. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the cities of Duluth and Superior one billion dollars to replace the Blatnik Bridge.

Senators from both Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with the governors and state transportation departments have been working to have the federal government commit the money to rebuild the bridge which is now more than 60 years old.

Combined, Minnesota and Wisconsin have committed the rest of the money needed, nearly a billion dollars, to replace the Blatnik.Bridge.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL) said, “There is a reason that this is so important. This is a bridge where you’ve got 33 thousand vehicles over in a day. You have four billion dollars in goods that are shipped over the Blatnik Bridge in a year, and it is really an engine of the economy in Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin.”

With the money now committed to replacing the bridge, design work will be started this year.  Once the final design is selected it’s anticipated that construction could begin as soon as 2025