The Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that the Wisconsin-bound lanes of the Blatnik Bridge will close for gusset plate repair work at 9 a.m. Thursday. Detour signs will be posted directing Wisconsin-bound motorists to the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge (U.S. Highway 2).
The closure is expected to last about two weeks. Once the work affecting the Wisconsin-bound lanes is completed, one of those lanes will reopen and the Minnesota-bound lanes will close for approximately two weeks.
The project's contractor plans to work six days a week, 10 hours per day during good weather to minimize the duration of the lane closures.
On May 6, one lane in each direction on the bridge were 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.
For additional information, visit the project Web site at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/projects/535-blatnik .
