Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) has been awarded design oversight and construction oversight contracts for the John A. Blatnik Bridge replacement project, estimated to cost between $1.1 billion and $1.4 billion, according to a company press release.

The contracts were awarded by the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation. Parsons previously completed preliminary engineering design work on the project and will now continue through the design and construction phases.

The John A. Blatnik Bridge, originally built in 1961, carries an average of 33,900 vehicles daily on Interstate 535 over St. Louis Bay, connecting Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge serves as a freight and commercial corridor over the Port of Duluth-Superior.

The replacement bridge will be built on the same alignment as the existing structure and will include a direct connection to US Highway 53 in Superior, Wisconsin. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2026, using a design-build delivery method. The project involves crossing two active navigation channels, two railroads, and multiple city streets. Traffic is expected to open on the new bridge in 2031.

The existing bridge will be closed and demolished early in the construction process, with traffic rerouted to nearby US Highway 2 during that period.

"This bridge serves an important freight corridor between the eastern United States and Canada though Minnesota and Wisconsin," said Mark Fialkowski, president of Infrastructure North America for Parsons.