Center span of new bridge at Lansing to be installed this Thursday and Friday; Car ferry will not operate, river traffic will be restricted
The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (DOT) are announcing another key milestone in the Iowa Highway 9/Wisconsin Highway 82 Mississippi River Bridge Project at Lansing. The center span of the new bridge will be installed this Thursday and Friday, June 11 and 12 in a process that includes floating the pre-assembled section down the river to be connected to sections that have already been built in place to the east and west. The project will need to close the free car ferry and restrict other traffic on the Mississippi River both Thursday and Friday, June 11 and 12.
The center span of the new bridge is being assembled near the Lansing Marina, just upstream from where it will complete the connection between the two existing spans of the new bridge awaiting its arrival. By assembling the span off site, the project was able to keep the river channel open at most times and allow the car ferry service to operate. Off-site assembly also reduced costs and improved schedule efficiency.
The morning of June 11, the center span will take its short trip downstream by barge until it aligns with the new sections. It will then be lifted into place and connected to the existing east and west assemblies. The entire process is expected to take several hours. The channel will remain closed Thursday and Friday, June 11 and 12 to fully connect and inspect the span. The project will continue in future weeks and months with additional construction on the bridge superstructure, deck and other features. The new bridge is expected to open to traffic in 2027.
The Iowa DOT will display a livestream of the process at iowadot.gov/lansingbridge. The livestream is video only and does not carry audio.
Following are details of the activity June 11 and 12 as it impacts the car ferry and other traffic on the Mississippi River:
• The free car ferry will operate June 10 through normal hours. The car ferry will not operate June 11 and 12 and will resume June 13 at normal hours. See https://iowadot.gov/lansingcarferry for car ferry service details.
• The project team is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard to restrict all commercial and recreational boat traffic on the Mississippi River around the project site June 11 and 12. Recreational boat traffic from the Lansing Marina will be allowed to travel north on the river June 11 after the center span barge has cleared the area. Boat traffic from the Big Slough Landing and other landings on the Wisconsin side will not be able to use the main channel under or around the bridge project.
• The contractor will enforce a restricted area on the Mississippi River to both the north and south of the bridge.
• There are no planned highway or street closures. The ferry landings on both the Iowa and Wisconsin sides will be closed to vehicles. There are no anticipated impacts to adjacent property owners.
• With the ferry closure, motorists should follow the marked detour routes with the closest bridges at U.S. 18 between McGregor and Prairie du Chien, WI, or at U.S. 14 between La Crescent, MN and La Crosse, WI.
• If weather or other circumstances delay the center span installation, the alternate dates are set for June 18 and 19.
For more information on the construction of the new Mississippi River Bridge as well as updates on the existing bridge status, go to iowadot.gov/lansingbridge. Individuals may also sign up to receive email updates and view the Facebook page www.facebook.com/LansingBridge/. Information on the ferry is available at https://iowadot.gov/lansingcarferry.
The latest traveler information is available anytime through the Iowa DOT 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or X (find links at https://iowadot.gov/travel-tools/iowa-511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to a mobile device.
