(UPDATED) Democratic lawmakers pressure feds to release $1.05B for Blatnik Bridge replacement

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story erroneously reported the Blatnik Bridge carried Interstate 545 between Superior and Duluth. The bridge carries I-535. The story has also been updated with comments from transportation officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Three Democratic lawmakers from Wisconsin and Minnesota urged the nation’s transportation secretary to approve funding for a billion-dollar bridge replacement between the two states.

U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota and Tina Smith, D-Minnesota, wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to release a more than $1.05 billion grant for the replacement project of the John A. Blatnik Bridge. The bridge carries Interstate 535 between the cities of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota.

Contruction cannot start without an amended grant agreement from Duffy’s office, transportation officials from Minnesota and Wisconsin said.

The letter follows a National Public Radio report that U.S. Donald Trump on social media said he wouldn’t allow the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Canada and Michigan to open. The $4.7 billion bridge has been under construction since 2018.

The Blatnik Bridge originally opened in 1961, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning to replace the span. The project is expected to cost $1.8 billion, and transportation departments in Wisconsin and Minnesota will pay the remainder of the federal grant.

In early 2024, MnDOT and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation received more than $1.05 billion in federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 from the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant administered by U.S. DOT.

U.S. DOT officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We write in support of executing the amended grant agreement submitted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation for $1.05 billion in awarded funding through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America and National Infrastructure Project Assistance programs for the Blatnik Bridge replacement project,” lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Execution of the amended grant agreement will allow the departments to advance to the construction phase of the project.”

Lawmakers noted the bridge has been in service for over 60 years and has shown significant structural deterioration. This has created capacity, mobility and safety concerns, they added.

“The awarded funding for the project will replace all structural elements of the bridge and restore the bridge to its original operational condition – improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of this key regional connection,” lawmakers wrote.

In November, the Minnesota Department of Transportation issued request for proposal documents for the bridge replacement project with approval of the Federal Highway Administration.

“As such, we respectfully request that the amended grant agreement be executed and funding be obligated for the project as soon as possible,” lawmakers wrote.

Blatnik Bridge project a number one priority for Minnesota, but construction has been halted

Both Wisconsin and Minnesota have each earmarked $400 million for the Blatnik Bridge project in addition to the federal grant in January 2024. In a joint statement, officials from both states’ transportation departments said U.S. DOT has not acted on executing the amendment that will release the grant funding.

“The Blatnik Bridge project is the No. 1 priority project for the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation and will continue to be until its construction,” MnDOT and WisDOT officials said. “The existing Blatnik Bridge is at major risk for service interruption or closure, and if the project does not move forward, the bridge is predicted to be closed in 2030 due to its condition.”

An amended grant agreement has been with U.S. DOT for approval since October 2025, officials said. Construction can not begin without the execution of the amended grant agreement from the Secretary of Transportation, officials added.

If the grant amendment is not signed and construction of the new bridge is delayed, construction costs will continue to rise and there will be a major shift in schedule, officials said. “Inflation alone is estimated at $80 million per year for the project,” they added.

MnDOT has already shortlisted two companies for the RFP: A joint venture between Burnsville, Minnesota-based Ames Construction and Plain-based Kraemer North America, and Black River Falls-based Lunda Construction.

One of the primary goals of the project is to create a bridge that reliably provides local, regional and international transportation without restricting the movement of freight.

Other goals include minimizing impacts to the port, traffic and nearby residents and businesses, avoiding environmental impact, enhancing small business participation in the project, and completing the bridge before Oct. 31, 2031.

“The folks in Minnesota and Wisconsin who are planning the reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge have dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s. Now, it’s time the President and Secretary Duffy give the final greenlight for this project to move forward so we can keep Wisconsinites safe and support the local economy,” Baldwin said in a statement.

“After over 60 years of connecting commuters and visitors to Minnesota, this funding for a replacement project will bolster safety and increase reliability of the Blatnik Bridge,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “The U.S. Department of Transportation must release this grant so this incredibly important project can move forward without further delay and increased costs.”

“Delays in replacing the Blatnik Bridge would be incredibly costly to Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Smith said in a statement. “The administration should act swiftly to make sure this project moves forward on schedule and doesn’t cost Northland taxpayers more. Let’s get this done on time and within budget.”

The Blatnik Bridge serves an average of 33,000 vehicles per day traveling over the St. Louis Bay, lawmakers wrote.

It also connects the Port of Duluth Superior, one of the largest U.S. ports on the Great Lakes and one of the largest marine gateways for U.S. trade with Canada, lawmakers added.

Adam Kelnhofer, freelance writer for The Daily Reporter, contributed to this report.