Project comes at no cost to local Duluth taxpayers
At its March 16 meeting, the Duluth City Council voted to accept an $11.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the rehabilitation of Duluth’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge. The bridge first opened in 1905 and has operated in its current lift configuration since 1930.
The almost $23.3 million Aerial Lift Bridge rehabilitation project will be funded by the following sources and come at no cost to Duluth taxpayers:
- $11,200,000 USDOT Federal RAISE Grant
- $7,000,000 State Bridge Bonds
- $2,240,000 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) State Matching Grant
- $1,500,000 National Park Service, Historic Preservation Fund Grants
- $822,000 MNDOT ADA Grant
- $500,000 MNDOT Active Transportation Grant
“The Aerial Lift Bridge is not just any bridge – it’s arguably THE most iconic bridge in all of Minnesota. It’s also a critical gateway for the shipping industry, as well as a critical transportation and utility connection to over 2,500 Duluth residents and 1,000,000 annual visitors,” said Mayor Roger Reinert. “This rehabilitation project represents our focus on Duluth’s core infrastructure and is not optional. Bravo Zulu to the City’s engineering staff, including Duncan Schwensohn and Director Jim Benning, for their long, hard work to obtain state and federal funding to fully fund this project. Director Benning is retiring at the end of this month, and I’m thrilled we got this across the finish line on his watch.”
The scope of the rehabilitation of the Aerial Lift Bridge includes:
- Repainting the lift span truss, including all steel members below the roadway deck grating and those members extending to approximately six feet above the roadway deck (portions of truss within the de-icing salt spray zone)
- Repainting of the bridge’s overhead steel truss which connects the north and south towers
- Replacement of deteriorated sections of the lift span roadway deck grating
- Miscellaneous structural steel repairs to the overhead truss, lift span truss, and roadway support members to restore section loss from corrosion
- Repairs to spalled and delaminated concrete on the bridge end abutments and tower column support pedestals
- Replacement of the bridge sidewalks and support steel on both sides of the bridge.
“One of the first projects I worked on as a City of Duluth engineer was the 1999 structural and electrical renovations, and the repainting of the main towers on both ends of the bridge,” said Public Works and Utilities Director Jim Benning. “Kudos to Duncan Schwensohn, Cari Pederson, and Cindy Voigt for their diligence and dedication to seeing this through. The City engineering team has been working on securing the necessary funding for this project since those towers were painted in 1999. Many thanks as well to Senators Klobuchar and Smith, and to the entire Minnesota delegation for their help in securing the necessary funds to complete this rehabilitation. The bridge’s lift span is approaching 100 years old, and this work will ensure the Aerial Lift Bridge continues to operate safely for residents and visitors alike for the next century.”
Construction is scheduled to be completed over a four-year period starting in Late fall or early winter of 2026. Due to the nature of the work required, most of the construction will only occur during the winter months when the bridge deck may remain in the down position during the winter shipping shutdown period. Construction will not occur during the months of May through September to avoid interference with the shipping season. While construction is underway, the bridge will have one lane closed but will remain open to traffic on a one-way take-turns basis controlled by traffic signals.
There will be intermittent full closures 15-30 minutes in duration over the course of the project. Some longer closures overnight may also be required to complete the work. Bridge closures will be limited as much as practical. Measures will be employed during construction to ensure that no construction debris is dropped into Lake Superior.
