Blatnik Bridge Project Faces Funding Pause Under Executive Order

The Blatnik Bridge Reconstruction Project may face issues after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing its funding source.

Last May, the project received the full federal funding it needed to replace the critical bridge connecting Superior and Duluth. Local officials from Wisconsin and Minnesota had petitioned former President Joe Biden and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to use funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to finally begin the reconstruction project.

The Blatnik Bridge carries around 33,000 cars each day and serves as a major transportation corridor between the states. Transportation officials planned to award a contract for the reconstruction project in the middle of 2026, and hoped to officially begin the project in 2027.

In his first few days back in the White House however, President Trump signed an executive order that would pause funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Under the order, agencies must submit a report for review to the federal government within 90 days to retain access to the previously approved funding.

Lawmakers from the area had mixed reactions to the news, but largely agree that the project will eventually retain the funding. Senators Tina Smith and Tammy Baldwin criticized the pause as disruptive and unnecessary. Congressman Tom Tiffany praised the halt as a smart idea to review projects that should not have received infrastructure funding across the country.

Local officials say they are working with federal officials to navigate the review process as quickly as possible to keep plans for the reconstruction project on schedule.