Biden coming to Superior on Thursday

President Joe Biden is coming to Superior on Thursday as a major bridge project for the northern Wisconsin city has received a significant boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The White House said the president will talk about how his “Bidenomics and Investing in America Agenda are rebuilding our infrastructure, lowering costs, spurring a small business boom, and creating good-paying jobs.”

This will be Biden’s second visit to Superior as president. He came to the city in March 2022 to underscore the benefits of the landmark infrastructure law.

The $1 trillion infrastructure package is funding repairs to roads and bridges nationwide, including a major bridge connecting Superior to Duluth. 

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican U.S. House Rep. Pete Stauber announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding a roughly $1 billion grant to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge.

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring federal resources back to Wisconsin, and now we are seeing the results pay off,” Baldwin said in a statement. “I have been pushing the Biden Administration at every turn to fund this project because a new Blatnik Bridge is critical for our economy, safety, and way of life.”

The bridge is more than 60 years old and under weight restrictions due to its deteriorating condition. Minnesota and Wisconsin estimate it may cost nearly $1.8 billion to replace.

“By connecting Duluth, Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin, the Blatnik Bridge has helped drive our Twin Ports economy for the past six decades,” Stauber said in a statement. “The Blatnik Bridge is aging, and its restoration is essential to ensuring continued economic success, which is why I have long fought for these funds.”

Stauber voted against the infrastructure bill that is providing the funding.

Regular inspections and maintenance are conducted to ensure the aging bridge remains safe. More than 33,000 drivers use it each day to cross the St. Louis River separating Duluth and Superior. Elected officials say around 265,000 trucks transport nearly $4 billion worth of goods across the bridge each year.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats, applied for a federal grant for the bridge’s replacement in December.

“We’re excited to celebrate this award today and what it means for our state, our workforce and economy, and the quality of life in Northern Wisconsin,” Evers said in a statement.

In Wisconsin, the current two-year state budget includes a roughly $400 million boost for the project.

Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled budget-writing committee included $352.8 million in transportation bonding and $47.2 million in funding to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine said he expects President Biden will talk about the infusion of funds for the bridge’s replacement on Thursday, calling it the city’s largest investment under the infrastructure law.

“We often talk about the Twin Ports as being functionally one large community. It’s a large combined metro area. But it’s only combined by that bridge — by the two bridges that really connect it,” Paine said, referring to the Bong Bridge that also connects the two cities.

“You take even one of them away, and it’s a pretty big gap between two large urban centers,” Paine continued.