Number 1 Bridge At Risk In Minnesota Is ‘Structurally Deficient’

Do you remember when the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River? I, like millions of others, drove that bridge for years before it failed. It was a terrible tragedy that has stuck with me. That's why I've never complained about the routine bridge inspection and delays on other bridges in Minnesota.

Minnesota Department Of Transportation Bridge Inspection Reports

The Minnesota Department of Transportation routinely inspects bridges, and you can read the inspection reports online for each bridge. You can see when it was last inspected, what the condition was, the load rating, and even the last time they looked at the foundations under water. It's a bit of an information overload, but if you know where to look, you can find some interesting (and startling) things.

The Bridge Most At Risk For Service Interruption In Both Minnesota + Wisconsin

My wife came home from a chamber dinner event last night and told me how shocked she was to see what kind of shape the Blatnik Bridge was in. A speaker was talking about the replacement project and why it was needed. According to my wife, the official shared shocking photos of corrosion, missing bolts, and structural cracking and deficiencies. After seeing that she said she'd think twice about taking the Blatnik Bridge.

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Read More: Do We Really Need Two Bridges Between Duluth + Superior?

So, this morning, I started doing my own research and looking up inspection reports and I was shocked to see the wording used in the report. The photos I found were pretty scary, too.

As you can see, there's some significant corrosion in many spots. The report shows lots of cracking in the pavement and other structures. The good news is in the latest report, no new critical deficiencies were found. However, many deficiencies still exist, and on the overview of the bridge, it is described as Structurally Deficient. The superstructure rating is Poor Condition.

Yikes.

Blatnik Bridge Replacement Construction Already Underway

The good news is that the Blatnik Bridge is going to be replaced. Both MNDOT and WISDOT came together to secure funding, and early stages of the construction are already underway. There will be significant traffic impacts in the near future, but it's clearly necessary to replace this aging bridge that is at the end of its life.