Northbound Interstate 35 will reopen to two lanes of traffic by noon today, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
That's good news for motorists, especially because traffic levels on the affected section of highway are about to increase dramatically. Grandma's Marathon participants and spectators will be arriving via the highway today. And Monday, both Duluth-bound lanes of the Blatnik Bridge (Interstate 535/U.S. 53) will close for approximately three weeks so workers can strengthen gusset plates on that structure. Traffic will be detoured to the Bong Bridge.
The project's contractor plans to work on the Blatnik six days a week, 10 hours a day during good weather to minimize the duration of the lane closures. One Superior-bound traffic lane will be open until all work is completed on the bridge.
Traffic on the Blatnik has been restricted since May 6, when one lane in each direction was closed to lessen the load on the 7,980-foot-long structure after engineering calculations and field inspections determined that gusset plates at several locations did not meet the bridge's load requirement.
The bridge was closed to Wisconsin-bound traffic on June 12 to allow workers to repair gusset plates under those lanes. Starting Monday, the Wisconsin-bound lanes will reopen but the Minnesota-bound lanes will close.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Blatnik normally carries an average of 29,500 vehicles a day and the Bong carries 17,700 vehicles. The section of Interstate 35 between the two bridges normally carries between 48,000 and 52,000 vehicles a day.
