The Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation have named the apparent best value proposer on the upcoming I-535 Blatnik Bridge replacement design-build project.
The Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II’s bid of $930 million came out on top of MnDOT’s best-value system, which combines a bidder’s technical score and price into a single adjusted score, and beat out the sole other bidder. The joint venture and states have up to 60 days before the contract is awarded, and JV's proposed details remain confidential during that time. A public hearing would be held in September to reveal the proposal.
MnDOT and WisDOT said they chose to pursue the project as a design-build contract for more efficient and innovative coordination between the design and construction teams, as well as lower costs.
Described as the “number one priority” for both departments, the new Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, will be either a tied-arch or cable-stayed design and is expected to have a service life of 100 years. The bridge’s current construction schedule calls for completion by 2032.
The new structure will follow the alignment of the original bridge and add a shared-use path and a new interchange into Superior. Both states aim to address aging infrastructure and improve safety and accommodations for oversized and overweight loads.
Powered byEach state will contribute $400 million toward the final structure, and earlier this year, the project received over $1 billion in federal funds for a total cost of roughly $1.8 billion.
The original 65-year-old Blatnik Bridge is one of two bridges that connects the two cities and carries 33,000 vehicles daily. It is jointly owned by MnDOT and WisDOT and is the second-longest bridge in Minnesota. Without a replacement, the bridge — a critical access route to the Port of Duluth-Superior that currently faces weight restrictions and traffic safety issues — would close in 2030.
