Biden returns to a deteriorating Wisconsin bridge to announce $5 billion for infrastructure projects
President Joe Biden has returned to the swing state of Wisconsin to announce $5 billion in federal money for upgrading the Blatnik Bridge and for dozens of similar infrastructure projects nationwide
SUPERIOR, Wis. — The last time President Joe Biden visited Superior, Wisconsin, he warned of the danger posed by the deteriorating John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge as he pointed out that years of corrosion had weakened the overpass connecting port cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota and he pledged to fix it.
Biden returned to that bridge at the tip of Lake Superior on Thursday with plans to announce nearly $5 billion in federal money to upgrade it and dozens of similar infrastructure projects nationwide. As the Democratic president jump-starts an election-year push to persuade voters to reward him for his policy achievements in office, Biden is making his pitch in a critical swing state that is part of the “blue wall” trio of states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — where he defeated Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.
More than 33,000 vehicles travel on the Blatnik Bridge every day, but heavy trucks are barred because of its decaying condition and that has caused lengthy detours. Without additional federal dollars, the bridge would have had to shut down by 2030, according to the White House. It is getting $1 billion for upgrades and repairs.
Biden met with iron workers and local officials before a speech highlighting that the repairs to the Blatnik are being paid for by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that Biden signed into law more than two years ago.
Though his visit is not officially a campaign event, his sharpened focus on Wisconsin with the election less than 10 months away highlights its place
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