Gov. Tony Evers calls for Blatnik Bridge funding

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday announced he wrote a letter to U.S. transportation secretary and former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy to release funding for reconstruction of the John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.

The project is led by the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation and the price tag to replace the aging bridge is more than $1 billion. Department officials said the existing Blatnik Bridge, which carries thousands of vehicles along Interstate 535 daily, is at “major risk” for service interruption or closure and is anticipated to close in 2030 if the project doesn’t move forward.

The U.S. Department of Transportation hasn’t acted on executing an amendment that will release a $1.058 billion federal grant announced in January 2024, according to MnDOT and WisDOT officials. Both states have earmarked $400 million for the project.

Without the transportation secretary executing the amended grant agreement, construction cannot begin, officials said.

“If the grant amendment is not signed soon and construction of the new bridge is delayed, it will cause a large increase in cost and a major shift in schedule. Inflation alone is estimated at $80 million per year for the project,” MnDOT and WisDOT officials wrote in a joint statement.

In early March, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, wrote a joint letter to Duffy. Evers wrote his own letter to the transportation secretary on March 10.

“I wrote to ask for your immediate action to advance the critically important Blatnik Bridge reconstruction project in northern Wisconsin, which will be the largest bridge reconstruction project in Wisconsin’s history,” Evers wrote. “Without your immediate action, this critically needed project will see harmful delays, not only making the project more expensive but negatively impacting the lives and livelihoods of families, businesses and industries across northern Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin approach to Blatnik Bridge will have the heaviest construction work

In January 2024, Wisconsin was awarded a federal grant of more than $1 billion through the U.S. DOT National Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway program for reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge. The grant was executed in October 2024, the governor said.

The INFRA grant will be split 53%-47% between the states with Wisconsin receiving most of the federal funds because work on the state’s approach will be more significant, Evers said.

The request for qualifications was released on July 30, 2025, and a shortlisted contractor team was announced Oct. 31, 2025, the governor said. In November, a request for proposals was released.

If funding is secured, the project is scheduled for letting in June 2026.

“To date, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has spent millions of dollars to purchase essential real estate, and longtime Wisconsin businesses have relocated or will be shortly to enable the project,” Evers wrote. “Detour routes in Superior are being upgraded this spring to accommodate amended traffic patterns when the bridge is closed.”

The project is expected to employ 1,100 workers each year, Evers said. Due to safety precautions, the Blatnik Bridge will need to close by 2030.