If you frequently drive from Duluth to Superior, the future of one of the main bridges got discussed by transportation officials. 

Both Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials held a virtual meeting to discuss future concepts to rehabilitate or replace the Blatnik Bridge. 

While the bridge is still safe to drive on, the number of repairs is growing each year. Part of what makes this a high priority for both states is because of the limited vehicle weight for heavy equipment loads transported between the two states.

“This is a high priority project for both the Minnesota and Wisconsin DOT and on the Minnesota side in our inventory it is the highest priority structure for the risk to a service interruption,” said Pat Huston, Assistant District Engineer of MNDOT District One. “So I want to ensure to everybody it is safe. We keep a close eye on it, but it's like any other physical object like your car or your house, they don't always last forever.”

It's a high priority project, which they would like to have final designs for completed in 2026 to 2028.  But right now, construction is actually on a timeline for around 2028 to 2031.

Previous public meetings led by DOT officials on the Blatnik Bridge project are able to view on the MNDOT projects page.

To follow more Northeast Minnesota DOT projects, a great resource is their MNDOT Facebook page.

To watch the original report and see related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website.  https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/transportation-officials-discuss-blatnik-bridges-future/6...