U.S. Senator Tina Smith on Release of Blatnik Bridge Replacement Funding

WASHINGTON, DC -Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after it was announced the U.S. Department of Transportation is releasing the funding necessary to begin construction to replace the Blatnik Bridge:

"Any delay in the Blatnik Bridge replacement project would've been incredibly costly to Minnesota and Wisconsin, to the tune of millions of dollars," said Senator Smith. "Releasing this funding now means this project can move forward on schedule - and Minnesota taxpayers won't have to pay more for the same bridge. I'm grateful the Administration heeded our calls to release this money and I'm looking forward to seeing construction completed on time and within budget."

The announcement comes two weeks after Senator Smith joined Senators Klobuchar (D-MN) and Baldwin (D-WI) in pressing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to give final approval and release the $1.05 billion grant. The Blatnik Bridge is a vital connection between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, with over 33,000 vehicles passing through daily and 265,000 trucks transporting nearly $4 billion in goods annually.

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