Light Transition - Blatnik Bridge

The John A. Blatnik Bridge carries Interstate I-35 and U.S. Highway 53 over the Saint Louis Bay. The bridge is a mile and a half long and rises up nearly 120 feet above the water. It was dedicated on December 2, 1961, and was renamed for Congressman John Blatnik on September 24, 1971. The bridge replaced the nearby Interstate Bridge also pictured here which was a swinging toll bridge that carried both automobile and rail traffic. The Interstate Bridge is now used as a fishing pier. .

New Blatnik Bridge Lighting

The new LED Lighting on the Blatnik Bridge illuminates the center span of the structure in a softer more complete light then the old system.

Here, the Walter J McCarthy Jr silently passes under the bridge as it backs is't way to the Midwest Energy Coal dock.

December 8, 1961: The Duluth-Superior Bridge Opens to Traffic

The Blatnik Bridge side-by-side with the remains of the Interstate Bridge.

By: Tony Dierckins Zenith City Online - On this day in Duluth and Superior in 1961, the Duluth-Superior Bridge opened to automobile traffic, the first modern bridge to span the St. Louis Bay between the neighboring cities, known since the 1890s as the Twin Ports. The new span replaced the Interstate Bridge, a swinging toll bridge that stretched from Rice’s Point in Duluth to Connor’s Point in Superior from 1897 until 1961. (It was partially dismantled in 1971, and a remaining portion of the bridge still stretches from Rice’s Point and is used as a fishing dock.) To allow shipping traffic to pass beneath the structure, the 7,975-foot bridge rose 120 feet above the water. It quickly became known as the High Bridge. In order to build the 2,800-foot approach to the new bridge, nearly the entire Garfield Avenue Residential District was razed. In 1971 the bridge was renamed the John A. Blatnik Bridge in honor of the DFL congressman from Chisholm who played a major role in making the bridge a reality. When the bridge was rededicated in Blatnik’s name in 1971, Secretary of Transportation John Volpe said that Blatnik “played a key role in establishing and fostering the foundation for this magnificent [Interstate Highway] program back during the Eisenhower Administration.” John Blatnik was a big supporter of the St. Lawrence Seaway, helped pass the 1972 Clean Water Act—and voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When he retired after 28 years in office (1947–1975), Jim Oberstar—Blatnik’s administrative assistant—took his place in Congress. Oberstar served until January, 2011.