Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture Named Contractor for $1.4B Blatnik Bridge Replacement
According to Engineering News-Record, the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation have named Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II, a partnership between Kraemer North America and Ames Construction, as the contractor for the $1.4 billion design-build replacement of the John A. Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis.
Project Scale and Timeline
The winning bid came in at $930 million, selected through MnDOT’s best-value scoring system that combines technical merit and price. Virginia-based Parsons Corp. will handle design and construction oversight, having previously completed preliminary engineering work on the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2026 and reach completion in 2031.
The existing bridge, opened in 1961, stretches 7,975 feet and carries roughly 33,000 vehicles daily on Interstate 535 across St. Louis Bay. Weight restrictions on the structure were cut from 154,000 lbs to 80,000 lbs in 2019. The replacement will measure 8,300 feet and follow the same alignment, adding a shared-use path. The new structure will be either a tied-arch or cable-stayed design. Federal funding of more than $1 billion was secured in early 2024, with both states contributing additional funds.
Parsons principal project manager Vincent Gastoni noted in ENR that the project’s location “over the port of Duluth-Superior, home to 1,000-ft-long lake freighters that haul ore to the eastern US, adds to the traffic and stakeholder coordination challenges,” alongside a shorter construction season driven by the cold northern climate.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- A five-year build window starting late 2026 means sustained subcontract opportunities across heavy civil trades, including concrete, steel erection, marine work, and electrical, for companies positioned in the Upper Midwest.
- The project’s complexity, traffic management over an active interstate, port coordination, and cold-climate scheduling, creates demand for specialized subcontractors with experience in constrained, high-traffic bridge environments.
- Subcontractors should monitor MnDOT procurement channels and Ames-Kraemer communications closely. A public project update meeting is scheduled for early September 2026, which may include design details relevant to scoping subcontract packages.
- The $930 million construction bid on a $1.4 billion total project signals significant funding allocated to design, oversight, and contingency. Subcontractors should price work with cold-weather and marine logistics premiums in mind.
- This project follows the completed $500 million rebuild of the nearby I-35/I-535/U.S. 53 interchange, suggesting continued regional infrastructure investment and an active contractor community already familiar with the Duluth-Superior corridor.
