Senator Baldwin Calls on President Biden to Replace the Blatnik Bridge in Superior

WISCONSIN – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on President Biden to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge and announced her support for Wisconsin and Minnesota’s application for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for the project. Senator Baldwin has been working to secure funding to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge, joining Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson, Superior Mayor Jim Paine, and local stakeholders in June to highlight the continued need to replace the bridge. Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, brought home $7.5 million for the project in the bipartisan appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2023. President Biden visited the Blatnik Bridge in 2022 to discuss how the bridge could benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring federal funding home to Wisconsin to repair our roads and bridges – like the Blatnik Bridge,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to support Wisconsin’s application for funding and continue to urge the Biden administration to invest in this much-needed project. Investing in this bridge will ensure that billions of dollars worth of products can get to market efficiently, families can get to work on time, and millions of travelers can get to their destinations safely – and put Wisconsin to work doing it.”

The Baldwin-supported Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made over $5.5 billion available through the federal Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program to help carry out major infrastructure projects across the country.

The Blatnik Bridge is a vital connection between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, with over 33,000 vehicles passing through daily and 265,000 trucks transporting nearly $4 billion in goods annually. After more than 60 years of heavy usage, the bridge has suffered from significant structural deterioration, leading to capacity, mobility, and safety concerns.

Once a final design is selected, construction is planned to begin in 2027 if full funding is secured.

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