The Blatnik Bridge in Superior is scheduled to close for reconstruction in early 2027 — Mayor Jim Paine said the longer it takes to get the project underway, the longer the Twin Ports stand to suffer major disruptions..

Mayor Jim Paine
Mayor, City of Superior

• The 65-year-old John A. Blatnik Bridge is a busy corridor between Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth Minnesota. A plan to replace it was the recipient of a $1 billion federal grant as part of the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” passed during the Biden administration. That money has not been released yet, however, prompting Democratic U.S. senators in both states and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to write the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking the funding, as preparations like moving businesses and plans for traffic reroutes have already started. The call to release the funding has become so urgent, Paine is flying to Washington, D.C. to personally ask the agency to expedite the process. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is a former U.S. representative for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, whom Paine said should well know the importance of the Blatnik Bridge and the need to proceed with its reconstruction.
• Paine: “This is a vital connector, not just for the cities of Superior and Duluth or the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This is an international connector. The age of the bridge already limits the freight loads. There’s almost no freight that moves over it, but it’s going to be a vital connector for international shipping between Michigan, Canada, northern Minnesota, really the entire continent. It’s a very vital connection. The Secretary of Transportation should understand that and recognize this. Look, one of the most important things to note here — there is no question about the fact that this bridge is closing. It is at the end of its life. It is going to close. The only question in front of us is whether it’s going to reopen with a new bridge and when.”

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