Blatnik Bridge replacement breaks ground after securing federal infrastructure funding
Construction begins on a $1.8 billion replacement for the aging Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior, funded by a federal INFRA grant and matching state contributions.
On August 31, 2026, work formally began on the $1.8 billion replacement for the 65-year-old Blatnik Bridge, the critical span connecting Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin over the St. Louis Bay. The groundbreaking followed more than a year of securing the funding puzzle, with both states committing $400 million each and the balance coming from a federal INFRA grant — though the exact size of that federal award depends on which source you consult. The governor’s office in Minnesota cites a $1 billion federal grant, while the AASHTO Journal reports the federal commitment as $1.05 billion.
The difference is marginal in the context of a nearly two-billion-dollar project, but it points to the specific moment the money became real for construction. The AASHTO Journal notes the federal grant was officially obligated in March 2026, which unlocked the final barrier to starting physical work. For a crossing that carries roughly 33,000 vehicles daily, including a significant portion of regional commercial freight, the replacement has been framed as a long-overdue upgrade to a bridge whose design life expired years ago.
The new structure will be built just north of the existing one, allowing traffic to continue using the old span during construction — a necessity for a corridor that functions as a literal economic link between the two states. Once complete, the replacement will feature wider lanes, a dedicated shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists, and modern seismic and safety standards, addressing the weight restrictions and deterioration that have plagued the original.
The story of its funding is a direct product of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created the INFRA grant program this project tapped. That both states had their $400 million shares ready and approved smoothed the path once the federal award was finalized, turning a long-discussed concept into a contract that could be signed and a groundbreaking that could be scheduled.
What happens next is a multi-year construction timeline, with the new bridge expected to open to traffic in the early 2030s. The old span will then be demolished. For now, the ceremony marking the start of work serves as the visible milestone, but the more substantive shift happened months earlier, when the federal obligation turned a plan on paper into a project with a budget that contractors could finally mobilize against.