Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

I-535 Blatnik Bridge

Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis.

Documents

Alignments and interchanges

The alignments and interchanges that advanced from June 2022 underwent further design and technical study. The findings and recommendations for the build alternatives to advance in the environmental document are documented in the Range of Alternatives Evaluation Tech Memo. See also Appendix A: Interchange Configuration Evaluation and Appendix B: Other Supporting Technical Studies for more background information.

Alignment screening and feedback

During the fall of 2022, MnDOT continued to study a range of alternatives and presented them at a December 2022 public meeting. A summary of the public comment on those alternatives can be found here.

Ped/bike tech memo

The project Draft Purpose and Need statement identified the lack of a bicycle and pedestrian facility on the bridge as a secondary need that could be addressed through the project. This June 2022 report documents the business case for studying multimodal facility options during the Blatnik Bridge National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. This document outlines the benefits of a multimodal path on the Blatnik Bridge.

Evaluation of feasible alternative

The June 2022 Evaluation of Feasible Alternative tech memo talks about evaluation methodology, development of alternatives, minimizing economic impacts and more. A summary of the public feedback received and how comments were considered during this round of engagement (October 2021-July 2022) can be found here.

Alignment screening and feedback

The June 2021 Alignment Screening tech memo is a 41-page document that talks about the screening process for conceptual designs of the bridge, evaluation criteria, stages of the process and much more. A summary of the public feedback received and how comments were considered during this round of engagement (April-May 2021) can be found here.

Purpose and need statement

The purpose and need statement is part of environmental documentation, focuses on the problems and not the solutions for the project, and is used as a guide to evaluate and select alternatives. You can also view a one-page summary of the purpose and need statement. The evaluation criteria for the purpose and need statement can also be viewed. Read a summary for how comments were addressed on the purpose and need and evaluation criteria documents. (January-February 2021)