The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation have announced their recommendation for the John A. Blatnik Bridge’s replacement along the existing alignment.

The recommended alternative includes an offset diamond interchange on the Wisconsin side and a shared-use path across the bridge. This alternative has a lower cost and less construction time, a higher expected benefit-cost ratio, and fewer wetlands and right-of-way impacts. However, the bridge's minimum closure may be prolonged.

The Departments plan to begin significant project work in 2026, with construction likely to take four to five years. Traffic will be detoured to the Bong Bridge for a sizeable portion of this time.

Minnesota and Wisconsin have each committed $400 million to the project and are asking the federal government for more than one billion dollars. The states submitted a joint Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program application earlier this year and are working on a Bridge Investment Program submittal due later in November. 

In October, a bipartisan group of Minnesota and Wisconsin U.S. Senate and Congress members, including Senator Baldwin and Representative Tiffany, sent a letter calling on President Biden to provide the necessary funds to replace the Blatnik Bridge.

Blatnik Bridge Project Website

Deal Reached to End Strike that Shut Down Great Lakes Shipping Artery

The union representing St. Lawrence Seaway workers said it reached a tentative labor agreement on Sunday, ending a week-long strike. The strike shut down shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway and interrupted the export of grain and other goods from Canada and the United States via the Great Lakes. 

Union members must still ratify the agreement. However, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) expects ships to start moving on Monday, Oct. 30, with employees returning to work.

On Oct. 22, about 360 workers in Ontario and Quebec with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, walked out due to a dispute over wages with the SLSMC. The strike closed 13 Canada-controlled locks between Lake Erie and Montreal and affected more than 120 vessels carrying over 635,000 metric tons of cargo, according to the SLSMC.

The St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes are part of a system of locks, canals, rivers, and lakes, stretching more than 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the western tip of Lake Superior in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This system carried over $12 billion worth of cargo last year.

Not since 1968 has a strike shut down this vital shipping corridor. 

Traffic congestion added $94.6 billion to trucking industry costs in 2021, according to the latest Cost of Congestion study published by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Congestion costs decreased in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, costs rose sharply in 2021, with a total of 1.27 billion hours of lost productivity due to delays.

Midwest congestion costs grew about 21% from 2016 to 2021.

The cost of Wisconsin's trucking congestion grew by about 24% from 2016-2021, higher than the region's average.

The report includes 2021 trucking congestion costs by state. Wisconsin ranks third in the Midwest, behind Illinois and Ohio, and fourteenth nationwide. 

Midwest 2021 Trucking Congestion Costs

One of the report’s goals is to provide states with a rationale for utilizing Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act funds to target congestion.

The report is available for download here.

Last week, the U.S. House elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) Speaker after 22 days of deadlock within the Republican Conference. Johnson has represented western Louisiana since 2017. He is now the top Republican in the House and second in line for the presidency.  

With this issue resolved, Congress must focus on funding the government. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires Friday, Nov. 17. Johnson proposes a CR to fund the government through either January or April, whichever his caucus prefers, while work continues on the fiscal year 2024 spending bills.

The House and Senate are expected to consider their respective transportation appropriations bills this week. In July, the House and Senate appropriations committees passed transportation appropriations bills, with the Senate bill billions more than the House version.

Senate Confirms Biden’s Nominee to Lead the FAA

On Oct. 24, the Senate voted 98-0 to approve President Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This action ended nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief.

Michael Whitaker is a former deputy FAA administrator with a long aviation career in the U.S. and abroad.

Whitaker is Biden's second FAA nominee. Last year, the president nominated Denver International Airport's CEO Phillip Washington, who withdrew as a candidate for the top FAA job after facing opposition. 

Fraser Industries LLC is located in Superior, Wisconsin on a 60-acre facility with navigable water access, rail access, and immediate freeway access.

The company is comprised of Fraser Shipyards LLC, Lake Assault Boats LLC, Northern Engineering Company LLC and related subsidiaries. Visit www.Frasershipyards.com.

Upcoming Transportation Reception at TRB, Sponsorship Opportunities

The 2024 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., is quickly approaching, and an exceptional event is again on tap. The Wisconsin Reception at TRB is a much-anticipated opportunity for Wisconsin transportation professionals to network during an informal reception.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Yard House

812 7th Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20001

Please consider sponsoring this event and help bring together our state's transportation professionals by providing a $1,000 contribution. If interested, please contact TDA's Debby Jackson for more information and to arrange sponsorship payment. Submit your company logo to Amanda Rasmussen at UW-Madison.

This event is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.

Upcoming Events

• Nov. 7: WisDOT Freight Railroad Conference, Madison

If you would like TDA to consider including your organization's update or event in an upcoming newsletter, please forward information to Luke Pearson – luke.pearson@tdawisconsin.org.