DOT announces closure, demolition of Mississippi River bridge at Lansing this fall

LANSING — A major bridge across the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa will be closed and demolished later this fall.

The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation are moving forward with a revised plan for the construction of the new bridge over the river at Lansing that requires the closure and the demolition of the existing bridge.

Pete Hjelmstad with the Iowa DOT in Mason City says project engineers reached the decision after extensive discussions between both state DOTs, the contractor, and additional analyses. He says while recognizing the impact to the communities, the plan ensures safety for motorists, construction workers, rail traffic and river traffic.  “Every single one of these people have been very helpful and very good to deal with. When you’re working on a bridge like that, you’re dealing with the Iowa DOT and the Wisconsin DOT, Iowa DNR and Wisconsin DNR, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the train tracks that go underneath that bridge — it’s more than just going ‘hey let’s run a boat from here to there’, there’s a lot of things that need to be done.”

Hjelmstad says the project team is investigating opportunities for alternative river crossings.  “Looking into a lot of different things right now to get people across the river at Lansing while the bridge is gone and the new bridge is being constructed. We’re continuing to look into options and see what we can find, and we’ll continue to update people as we get more information.”

Since construction on the new bridge started in late 2023, project engineers temporarily closed the existing bridge twice. The first time in early 2024 was due to observed displacement, with the bridge re-opened following limited stabilizing work. The second closure happened this past May due to sensor-detected movement, and the bridge was re-opened following a detailed inspection and engineering analysis.

The new bridge is scheduled to be opened in 2027.