More than $1 billion awarded to Minnesota, Wisconsin bridge
Updated: 11 a.m.
Officials announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $1.06 billion in federal funding to replace the aging John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior, Wis.
“This is big news for Minnesota. This investment will make it possible for Minnesota and Wisconsin to rebuild a critical connection between our states that will foster regional economic growth, strengthen our national supply chains, and improve the safety and reliability of our transportation network,” Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement. “This is a project that will serve hundreds of communities between our states."
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in the statement released by Walz's office that this is “a transformational opportunity” for both states in bringing a key piece of infrastructure into the 21st century.
“A new Blatnik Bridge means safer vehicle travel and better support for the billions of dollars in freight moving across the bridge each year,” Evers said.
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The total cost for rebuilding the bridge is estimated to be $1.8 billion; each state committed $400 million toward the project last year. Design work for the project, which will determine specifications and the shape the final project, is expected to begin this year. Once a final design is selected, construction could begin as early as next year.
The federal funding prompted a flurry of celebratory messages from other elected officials, including Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, whose district includes Duluth. In a statement issued Monday morning, Stauber said he “long fought for these funds.”
Democrats pounced on that, noting Stauber had voted against the federal infrastructure bill in 2021. Walz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Stauber “voted against every screw, steel beam, and concrete pier in this bridge.”
Walz said that President Joe Biden “worked with Stauber’s colleagues and got it done without him.”
Stauber addressed that criticism in a brief interview with MPR News on Monday night.
“Certainly I had some major problems with what was in the bill,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is, it’s law now. And I am going to fight for every dollar, to bring every dollar back to Minnesota.”
Stauber said that Minnesota is “one of the highest-taxed states in the country. And I’m going to do whatever I have to do to bring this money back. And the bridge is a great project.”
Biden is set to highlight infrastructure spending — likely including the Blatnik Bridge project — when he visits Superior on Thursday. He made a stop near the bridge during a previous visit to Superior in 2022.
The bridge is an important freight and commercial connection between the Duluth-Superior Twin Ports and serves more than 33,000 vehicles per day, according to the statement. It is jointly owned and managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
For more than 60 years, the bridge has linked Duluth and Superior via Interstate 535 and U.S. Highway 53.
It is also one of the largest marine links for U.S. trade with Canada — the top trade partner of Wisconsin, Minnesota and the United States — the statement said. The bridge replacement project will improve safety and accommodate oversize and overweight loads.