New $165 Million Mississippi River Bridge Opens Months Ahead of Schedule, Reconnecting Wisconsin and Iowa
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on November 6 joined the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), officials from the Iowa Department of Transportation and local community leaders in Lansing, Iowa, to celebrate the opening of the new WIS 82 / Iowa 9 Mississippi River bridge connecting Lansing, Iowa, and Crawford County, Wisconsin. The bridge opened months ahead of its original spring 2027 schedule.
"The opening of the new Lansing Bridge is a major achievement for Wisconsin and our partners in Iowa, and it shows just what we can accomplish when we work across state lines to make life easier for our states' residents, businesses, and visitors," Gov. Evers said. WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said opening ahead of schedule was a testament to the hard work and partnership behind the project, from coordinating construction across two states to maintaining a temporary ferry service that kept the communities connected.
The $165 million Mississippi River Bridge project began in late 2023. The new bridge replaces the historic Black Hawk Bridge, which was permanently closed in late 2025 after temporary closures earlier in 2025 and in 2024. In November 2025, WisDOT and Iowa DOT partnered to provide free temporary car ferry service during construction; over its year of service, the ferry carried more than 160,000 vehicles.
The new bridge was built with about 11,400 cubic yards of concrete and 6,600 tons of steel and was designed to resemble the former structure, an icon of the Lansing community. Its foundations are 150 feet deep, nearly three times deeper than the original bridge built by a private toll company. The new bridge has wider traffic lanes and shoulders and is expected to carry about 2,500 vehicles daily. More than 60 contractors, consultants and industry partners worked on the project. The governor's office said Wisconsin has improved 11,685 miles of roads and 2,772 bridges statewide since 2019 under Evers.
Additional work remains, including restoration of the car ferry landing areas and removal of the prior bridge's piers and foundations. In spring 2027, further work on the bridge deck will cause traffic disruptions but should not require full closures. The entire Lansing Bridge project is expected to be completed in late spring 2027.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Wisconsin)
Source: Office of the Governor of Wisconsin
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：爱荷华州兰辛镇与密西西比河上的黑鹰桥全景。Wikideas1 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Panorama of Lansing, Iowa, and the Black Hawk Bridge over the Mississippi River. Photo by Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
