(
Bridge Hunter,
Historic Bridges;
John A. Weeks III;
3D Satellite,
Birds-Eye View)
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Bridge Hunter, photo provided by Hank Zaletel
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
[In the background is the swing span of the Interstate Bridge.] |
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| MnDOT, this webpage has several construction photos |
"Major reconstruction of the Blatnik bridge occurred in 1992 and 1993. The bulk of the work was to widen the bridges to add room to the shoulders, and to install a center divider. There was also a three year project to paint the bridge from end to end." [John Weeks] This is the first truss bridge that I know of where the deck was widened. The outsides of the piers seem to be lighter than the rest of the piers at the same vertical line. Was concrete added to the sides to widen them?
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Josh Schield posted
Two big bridges in Duluth Mn/Superior Wi
[The tied-arch bridge in the background is the Bong Bridge.] |
Another view that also shows the Bong Bridge.
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David Schauer posted
John G. Munson departing on Tuesday afternoon ahead of a thunderstorm line. The laker was headed to Marquette for ore after delivering limestone to C. Reiss. Duluth, MN - September 2, 2025
[I can tell by the pilot house in the bow that this is an old freighter.] |
It looks like a big boat doesn't have a big wake.
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Paul Scinocca Photography posted
Paul R Tregurtha on as close to a mirrored water as possible! They are actually moving forward, departing Duluth loaded with Iron Ore from the CN dock (1st visit there this season) Heading to Toledo OH. |
Bridge Hunter specifies a total length of 1,140.1'. But they must be talking about just the truss structure with its 600' long center span. John includes a photo taken from US-53 on Miller Hill that shows the bridge also crosses Howards Bay. And the bridge needs long approaches to achieve its 120' clearance. [DuluthNewsTribune]
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John Weeks
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While Minnesota has one entry in the National Bridge Inventory for the Blatnik Bridge, Wisconsin maintains 5 entries as follows:
NBI #B16000500050000, 2,241 Feet, Girder Span, Crosses WI-35.
NBI #B16000500020000, 697 Feet, Girder Span, Crosses Howards Pocket.
NBI #B16000500030000, 1,884 Feet, Girder Span, Crosses Soo Line Railroad.
NBI #B16000500010000, 1,140 Feet, Arch Span, Crosses Saint Louis Bay.
NBI #B16000500040000, 2,022 Feet, Girder Span, Crosses Garfield Ave.
If you add up these spans, you get 10,225 feet. This is 2,245 feet longer than what Minnesota reports in their NBI entry. Minnesota apparently does not count the bridge sections that cross WI-35 on the Superior end of the bridge. It is also possible that Minnesota recognizes a different northern endpoint for the bridge. As evidence, a photo below shows that there is landfill between the Blatnik Bridge and the Garfield Avenue Bridge. If Wisconsin considers the Garfield Avenue interchange to be part of the Blatnik Bridge, that could account for the 2,245 foot discrepancy.
[John Weeks]
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Bernie Olson posted
Henry Steinbrenner |
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David Schauer posted
Interlake's James R. Barker reverses toward the SMET/MERC coal dock in Superior as fleetmate Stewart J. Cort heads across the Superior front channel to BNSF. 12/23/2021 |
I learned of this bridge from
a video of a boat,
Federal Yukon, that went under it on its way "
to CHS to load wheat." Since the video was taken from the north side, some of the scenes show the grain elevators on the south side of the river. Given that the boat has three cranes rather than an unloading conveyor, I would not have guessed it would haul wheat.
Just a few hours after I wrote the above text, I came across
an article about the Federal Yukon. It and a sister ship, Federal Kumano, are taking loads of Durum wheat that was grown in North Dakota to Algeria where it will be milled and used to make couscous. The boat is a "salty." That is, it can go through the
Welland Canal.
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Christopher Rengo posted
The John G. Munson departed Duluth for the first time this Season with a load of taconite from CN Dock 6. Was a beautiful morning for a little Classic Laker action!
[Eastish Elevation] |
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Bjornberg Photography posted
A shot from on board the USCGC Hollyhock of the local workhorses here in the Twin Ports ( The Great Lakes Towing Company). Left to right is North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri.
[The grain elevators in the background are General Mills.] |
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David Schauer posted
Algoma Conveyor glides under the Blatnik Bridge on its way to Envirotech (Hallett Dock Eight) in Superior with a load of salt. 5/24/2022 |
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Rich Pedersen posted
It is amazing how big the Paul R Tregurtha actually is. Shown here backing under the Blatnik bridge this evening on her way to MERC her size is impressive. 6/9/22 |
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David Schauer commented on Rich's post
Nice you can see the Ryerson in the distance. The American Victory and John G. Munson were there in this 2013 view (McCarthy under bridge). |
Maussman Construction
posted seven photos with the comment:
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Bridges Now and Then posted
Pouring concrete on the John A. Blatnik Bridge over Saint Louis Bay, between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, 1961. The Minnesota Draw swing span of the Saint Louis Bay Bridge is seen behind. (Minnesota Department of Transportation) |
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David Schauer posted
On the way to look up something else, I came across this interesting news blurb in the Oliver Iron Mining (U.S. Steel) employee publication Ore, Iron and Men from November 1960. Interestingly, today the Hon. James L. Oberstar will go under the Blatnik Bridge, just as it is shown doing here on September 15, 1960, as the Shenango II. |
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Bridges Now and Then posted
Crowds gather on the High Bridge (renamed (Blatnik Bridge) linking Superior, Wisconsin, to Duluth, Minnesota, on grand opening day, December 2, 1961. Minnesota Governor Elmer Anderson speaks at the grand opening. (Minnesota Department of Transportation) |
In 2008, an analysis of the design was done because the modifications made in the 1990s were never analyzed. They discovered that 16 gusset plates did not have an adequate safety margin. Minnesota had learned the hard way with the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that a weak gusset plate can bring down the entire bridge. So the "16 gusset plates were strengthened by adding angle iron strengtheners or plate doublers." [John Weeks] Additional gusset plates were strengthened in 2012 and 2016. In fact, corroding gusset plates have become an ongoing maintenance issue that has helped cause MnDOT to schedule a replacement by 2028 for an estimated cost of $460m. [
DuluthNewsTribune]
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Jane Herrick posted
Let’s Play Bridge The Blatnik Bridge spans from Duluth, MN to Superior, WI . Ships pass under the center to get to several docks back in this area of the harbor . This bridge built in 1961 is scheduled to be rebuilt starting in 2027 . Frank Haydon: Let's Play Trivia.... Where / What is the Shortest Interstate in the United States of America 🇺🇸 ???
Shortest Interstate in the United states of America is.... Interstate I-535. Duluth Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin. The High Bridge. same as The Blatnik Bridge in this picture. 😉 |
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Joe Fishbein posted
The main truss span of the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth has a catwalk for inspection. This is from our inspection 7 years ago. We accessed the catwalk from our Snooper (the yellow object in the distance). |
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Joe Fishbein posted
Another view from our inspection of the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth, 7 years ago. The intricate geometry of this truss joint was designed using slide rules and drawing boards. CAD did not exist in the late 1950s. |
%20Bridges%20_%20Another%20view%20from%20our%20inspection%20of%20the%20Blatnik%20Bridge%20in%20Duluth,.png) |
| Comments on Joe's post |
Conner Blaukat
posted six photos with the comment: "The John A. Blatnik bridge carries I-535 across the Saint Louis Bay in Duluth, Minnesota. The bridge is slated to be replaced in the coming years."
Laureen Rengel: I just read about this bridge. Interesting and a little scary if one were to use it IMO. At least its weaknesses are known and there’s a plan in place.
Al Clausen: The project redoing the interchange of that roadway with I-35 hit a snag this fall when, human remains were found and, work has been delayed indefinitely, until the State archaeologist says that work can proceed again.
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/.../twin-ports... [I hit a paywall]
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Josh Schield commented on Conner's post
Night time |
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David Schauer posted
Boland made the short trip to nearby Midwest Energy to load petroleum coke from the Pine Bend refinery south of St. Paul for Alpena, MI. I'm trying to get more images, and different angles, of the Blatnik Bridge before it is replaced in the next few years. Superior, WI - March 26, 2025
Slated to close in 2027.
Paul Lind: FYI for those of you flying drones... look up MARSEC.. I'd be expecting some conversations with enforcement going forward. David Schauer: Paul Lind I have checked with the FAA and USCG that oversees MARSEC and they do not control air space over docks or ships, only the FAA does. Unless there is a no-fly zone set up and registered with the FAA, it is NOT illegal to fly over commercial docks or near ships. Under MARSEC, a drone can be reported to the USCG as suspicious activity, but it depends on the circumstances. That's the same as seeing someone on the ground near a dock acting suspicious, with or without a camera. |
6 of 20 photos
posted by roadwaywiz with the comment:
It might sound crazy, but the success of the past 10 days of travel out in the Northern Tier and Mountain West hinged on covering a single 2.8 mile stretch of highway in northern Minnesota.
Interstate 535 is a short spur from I-35 that connects the cities of Duluth MN and Superior WI via the John Blatnik Bridge across St. Louis Bay. The interstate is concurrent with US Highway 53 for its entire length and is among the shortest inter-state interstates in the 48,000+ mile Interstate System.
So what's the big deal? For starters, parts of the interstate have been closed on a regular basis since 2021 as part of the ongoing Twin Ports Interchange project (where I-35/I-535/US 53 come together at the south end of central Duluth). While work on that project wraps up at the end of this year, there's also the looming 5-6 year full closure of the interstate for the replacement of the Blatnik Bridge, a closure that may go in to effect as soon as next year.
This relatively brief window of opportunity, where all lanes of the interstate were "open enough" (via the temporary alignment at Garfield Avenue), is what ultimately dictated the timing of this entire trip. It's a modest yet crucial piece of the Interstate System that had to be covered in order for me to reach my goal of covering the system in full for the channel. In this particular case, mission accomplished. The footage might be a bit of a mess due to the construction, but a 'clinch' is a 'clinch' at the end of the day, regardless of how it looks.
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