Routine Annual Inspection Of Blatnik Bridge Saturday, October 3

Inspections of our Northland bridges have been going on all summer and now it's the Blatnik Bridge's turn this Saturday.  We can expect some traffic delays, but with the Superior-bound closure in progress they are doing what they can to minimize traffic issues.

The routine bridge inspection will begin at  8:30a and end close to 12:30p this Saturday.  Their plan is to do spot checks this time around, then another inspection will take place in November.

Obviously, bridge inspections are conducted to make sure the bridge is reliable and safe for motorists and for freight movement.  New technology could soon have drones involved flying over and under the bridge to get close-up pictures of possible structural flaws.  It's part of a two-phase study that MnDOT started to determine if unmanned aerial vehicles could do the job cost-effectively. The second phase of the study may have the test drones  on the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth in a couple of months.

Please drive carefully in or near the work zone areas on the Blatnik bridge this Saturday and as they continue construction.