Postcard from the John A. Blatnik Bridge

This undated postcard, circa the mid 1990s, shows the Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth and Superior. The card was published by Erickson Post Cards & Souvenirs and the photo is credited to Grandmaison Photography.

The Blatnik Bridge is currently rated in poor condition, with weight restrictions and safety concerns. More than $1 billion in federal funds were released earlier this month to replace it. Minnesota and Wisconsin are contributing an additional $400 million each. Preliminary construction is expected to begin later this year, with complete bridge closure beginning in early 2027.

To read more about that process, visit the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s I-535 Blatnik Bridge page.

The caption on the back of the postcard reads:

Duluth, MN — Superior, WI
John A. Blatnik Bridge (High Bridge)
Originally referred to as the High Bridge, construction began November 1958 and opened to traffic December 2, 1961. In 1971, the bridge was renamed the Blatnik Bridge, in honor of MN Congressman John A. Blatnik. The bridge links the Twin Port Cities of Duluth-Superior and is the second longest bridge in Minnesota at 7,980 ft. (second to Duluth-Superior’s Bong Bridge.) In 1992, one of the largest bridge reconstruction projects of all time was implemented in order to widen the bridge for its current heavy traffic usage.