Biden returns to deteriorating bridge to tout achievements
SUPERIOR, Wis. — President Biden returned to the deteriorating John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge on Thursday to make the case that his administration is following through on its pledge to fix the critical link between the port cities of Superior, Wis., and Duluth, Minn.
Biden, who visited the bridge at the tip of Lake Superior two years ago when he promoted his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, used his election-year stop to announce nearly $5 billion in federal money for the bridge and dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide.
With Biden trying to persuade voters to reward him for his first-term achievements, the Democrat’s latest pitch came in a critical swing state that is part of the “blue wall” of states — Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — where he defeated Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.
“For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done. Until today,” Biden said at Superior’s Earth Rider Brewery after visiting with iron workers and local officials at the bridge. “This bridge is important, but the story we’re writing is much bigger than that,” Biden said.
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.
Though his visit was not officially a campaign event, his sharpened focus on Wisconsin with the election less than 10 months away highlights its place as one of a shrinking handful of genuine battleground states.
Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point in Wisconsin, with Trump winning narrowly in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton before losing to Biden by a similar margin in 2020.
All signs point to Wisconsin remaining nearly evenly divided, even as Democrats have made gains in recent elections.