Oliver Bridge Closure Between Duluth + Superior: August 15-19
Drivers who utilize the Oliver Bridge to get between Duluth and Superior, Minnesota and Wisconsin, will need to find an alternative route for a few days. The bridge that crosses the St. Louis River at the junction of Highway 39 and Wisconsin Highway 105 in Gary-New Duluth will be closed to traffic.
A planned closure will happen for the bridge - August 15 through August 19, 2022. According to details originated by the CN Railroad and shared by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the closure will occur in order to allow work crews the ability to perform their annual scheduled inspections.
Drivers will encounter the closure during the daytime hours - 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM for each of the days listed. The hours are established so that there will be minimal impacts to the morning and the afternoon commute.
As part of the information released, CN Railroad has committed to having the bridge open each day for those "drive-time" commutes:
"The bridge will not close until 8:30 AM each day, and all equipment will be removed from the bridge so the bridge will be reopened to traffic by 4:30 PM each day."
In advance of the closure, MNDOT will coordinate with the CN Railroad to get the word out about the closure to drivers on each side of the bridge. Changeable message signs will be in place on each end by Wednesday, August 10 to let bridge users know about the upcoming daytime closures. The signs will remain in place until the inspection work is complete.
Both agencies anticipate the inspections for the Oliver Bridge to be complete and wrapped according to the scheduled timeline. However, any outdoor road project is subject to unforeseen circumstances - like weather.