John A. Blatnik Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name=John A. Blatnik Bridge

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caption=Looking towards Duluth, Minnesota from Superior, Wisconsin near the Blatnik Bridge at night.
official_name=
crosses=Saint Louis River
carries=Interstate Highway 535 - U.S. 53
locale=Duluth, Minnesota
design=Tied-arch suspension span
mainspan=
length=7975 feet (2440 m)
width=
below=
open=1961
maint=Minnesota Department of Transportation
id=9030
coordinates=
lat=46.749133
long=-92.101286
clearance=
traffic=

The John A. Blatnik Bridge is the bridge that carries Interstate Highway 535 and U.S. Highway 53 over the Saint Louis River, a tributary of Lake Superior, between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge is convert|7975|ft|m long and rises up to accommodate the seaway shipping channel. It was dedicated on December 2, 1961, but was renamed for Representative John Blatnik on September 24, 1971, to commemorate Blatnik's role in making the bridge a reality. The Blatnik Bridge replaced a swinging toll bridge around the same location that carried both automobile and rail traffic.

The bridge was widened and the substructure was strengthened between 1992 and 1993 to accommodate hard shoulders. In 2008, following the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, it was discovered that the 1990s upgrades to the Blatnik Bridge had added weight beyond the load limit for gusset plates in eight locations. The bridge was reduced to two lanes until the gusset plates could be strengthened.

The Blatnik Bridge is also sometimes referred to as the "High Bridge" by the older generations, making the two major bridges connecting Duluth, MN and Superior, WI the "Bong Bridge" and the "High Bridge."

References

* [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byday/fhbd0924.htm FHWA by Day, September 24]
*
* [http://webpages.charter.net/jaho/535guide.htm I-535/US-53 Exit Guide]
* [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/tda/reports/data/counties/county69/6981.pdf Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Record, Control Section 6981]
* [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/08/05/06-blatnikrepairs.html May 6, 2008 MN/DOT press release regarding repairs to gusset plates]

External links