The demolition of the historic Black Hawk Bridge that spans the Mississippi River and links Iowa with Wisconsin is to be carried out in the third quarter of 2025. The bridge connects Iowa Highway 9 and Wisconsin Highway 82.
There have been concerns over the deteriorating condition of the bridge for some time, while it no longer meets modern safety requirements. The Black Hawk Bridge, also known as the Lansing Bridge, links Lansing in Iowa with Crawford County in Wisconsin. It is 504m in length, with a 21m clearance for vessels using the river and features a single lane in either direction.
Construction of the bridge commenced in 1929 and it opened for traffic in 1931. The bridge was built and owned privately but when damage from ice in the river caused its closure between 1945 and 1957 the firm went bankrupt and responsibility for the link was taken over jointly by Iowa and Wisconsin.
The new $140 million replacement bridge is not likely to be ready for traffic until 2027. But the existing steel truss bridge is obsolete and is no longer able to cope safely with the traffic it has to carry.
There will be detours available. However, the nearest bridges are some distance away. One links La Crosse in Wisconsin with La Crescent in Minnesota and is 65km to the north while the nearest connects Marquette in Iowa with Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin and is 48km to the south. There are discussions as to whether a temporary ferry service can be implemented until the new bridge is ready.
