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An iconic connector between

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Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth,

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Minnesota is set to close

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early next year.

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The Blotnick Bridge opened

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in 1961, and now

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more than 65 years later, is

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scheduled for reconstruction.

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According to the governor's office,

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more than 33,000 vehicles cross

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every day, and more than 265,000

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transport trucks traverse the

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bridge each year.

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In 2024, former President

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Joe Biden visited Superior to

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draw attention to funding just

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over a billion dollars for the

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project as part of the bipartisan

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infrastructure law.

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But now U.S.

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Senators in two states and Wisconsin

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Governor Tony Evers have written

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letters to the U.

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S. Department of Transportation to

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release that funding so the

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project can proceed.

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Superior Mayor Jim Payne is

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part of the chorus calling for the

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grant money to be released.

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So the project can get going.

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He joins us from Superior, and

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Mayor, thanks for being here.

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Yeah, of course. Thanks for having

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me.

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So how critical is it to get this

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funding released sooner rather than

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later?

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Well, at first,

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we'll be OK, because there

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are some delays built into the

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project. The problem is this

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the later we start, the later we

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finish and the

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the effect of the closure

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of the bridge is significant.

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And that's what we're preparing for.

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And any extension

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of that closure is

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problematic for the economy and

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quality of life of both superior and

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neighboring Duluth.

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So the later it starts, the lighter

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it finishes.

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What has the USDOT told

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you about when that might happen?

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Uh, we have had a lot of

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coordination with, uh, Wisconsin

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department of transportation, of

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course, Minnesota department of

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transportation.

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And until now we had reasonable

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assurances that this was going to

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happen. There was a lot uncertainty

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at the start of this presidential

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administration.

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Uh, but that was supposed to have

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been resolved that that this project

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was going forward.

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So this is a very frustrating delay.

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And Transportation Secretary Sean

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Duffy, of course, knows the region,

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having represented it and

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knows the importance

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of this bridge.

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I would hope so.

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I would think so.

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This is a vital

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connector, not just for the

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cities of Superior and Duluth

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or the states of Wisconsin and

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Minnesota. This is an international

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connector.

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The age of the bridge already

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limits the freight loads.

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There's almost no freight that moves

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over it, but it's going to be a

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vital connecter for international

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shipping between Michigan,

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Canada, Northern Minnesota,

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really the entire continent.

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It's a very vital connection.

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The secretary of transportation

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should understand that and

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recognize this.

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Look, one of the most important

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things to note here, there is no

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question about the fact that this

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bridge is closing.

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It is at the end of its life.

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It is going to close.

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The only question in front

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of us is whether it's

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going to reopen with a new bridge

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and when.

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So when the bridge closes,

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how will people get across?

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There's another bridge.

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The Bong Bridge is another

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major connector which can handle

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the load, but it's gonna create

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significant bottlenecks.

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If you look at even a map of

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Wisconsin, you can see Superior

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is sitting as a nice little hat

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there at the very Northwest corner.

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Superior is a triangular peninsula

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into the St. Louis Harbor

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of Lake Superior.

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That means traffic bottlenecks as

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it comes from Duluth.

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And it already creates

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some backlogs when

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enough freight is moving through the

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city, that will become demonstrably

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worse during bridge closure.

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So the longer that lasts,

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the greater the impacts on

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quality of life and commerce.

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Meanwhile, your city has already

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expended money toward the eventual

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replacement of the bridge.

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What is the preparation and

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that expenditure?

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There's been millions and millions

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of dollars in

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prep. A lot of it has been

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relocation of whole businesses.

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Some of them as much as

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a hundred years old that were

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operating at the foot of that

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bridge. We cleared it all out.

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And look, we did our part.

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We spent a significant amount of

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public, local money, city of

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superior money to help relocate

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businesses, to improve

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transportation networks, to actually

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rebuild streets, improve them, to

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mitigate traffic, to make...

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To prepare for faster and

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more efficient emergency response

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during bridge closure.

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We have done our part.

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The state of Wisconsin, the state of

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Minnesota have done their part.

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Everything is ready.

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We're waiting for the federal

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government to live up to

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its end of the deal.

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And so the new bridge

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is supposed to be up and

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operating by, what, 2031?

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Hope so. This is a transportation

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project and any transportation

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project involves delays.

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And so when you're looking at the

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largest transportation project that

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anybody up here

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has worked on from folks at

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the City of Superior all the way to

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staff on both Departments of

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Transportation, we would

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expect some significant delays along

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the way. That is the nature of

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construction projects.

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So an unforced delay

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like this, what seems to be a

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political delay, only

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adds to the uncertainty

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and complexity of an already

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uncertain and complex project.

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So Republican lawmakers

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say the funding will be released and

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it's not in jeopardy.

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You just used

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the word political.

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What do you think the holdup is?

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I honestly don't know.

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I've worked with...

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Many different state and federal

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administrations at this point,

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including the Trump administration.

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And while there's been

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plenty of disagreement on

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priorities, I've never dealt

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with this level of chaos.

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I don't know what the holdup is.

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I appreciate that lawmakers are

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saying that it'll be released.

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Well, then release it.

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Sign the document, show us that

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we have the money so planning

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and preparation can resume.

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I don't know if...

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If it's so guaranteed, let's hear

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that from the secretary of

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administration.

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Words do not build bridges,

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actions do.

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Mayor Jim Payne, thanks very much.

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Marissa just said that was a great

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last line.

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Well, you decided it was a lot of

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fun. I had to talk the whole day.

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Thank you.

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That's great.

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Well, good luck with all of that,

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and we'll check back, of course.

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We have lots of years to do so.

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Yeah, I'm going to Washington on

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Sunday. I'm gonna try and meet with

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Okay.

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Feel free to call and ask how that

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went.

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Okay.

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We will.

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Well, we'll see, we will see.

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Thank you, everybody.

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Thank you.