Lansing Bridge re-opens Monday, but future closures planned

LANSING, Iowa (WLCX) – The bridge connecting Wisconsin to Iowa is now open.

After being closed on May 17, the Iowa Department of Transportation said the 94-year-old Lansing Bridge was open as of 10 a.m. on Monday, June 9.

The bridge, also known as the Blackhawk Bridge, was closed when a shift in one of the 94-year-old bridge’s foundational piers was detected, prompting the May 17 closure.

In an update on Monday, Iowa DOT officials said after inspection and engineering review, the bridge is safe to cross.

DOT officials added that there will be future planned closures, but those won’t happen until after July 4th weekend. That’s because of construction on the bridge’s replacement, which is set to open in 2027.

The bridge was closed last year to have two new piers set and bridge decking replaced after construction on its replacement shifted part of the bridge in late February of 2024. The bridge was re-opened on April 20 of last year.

When the DOT closes the bridge in the future, they will give at least one week’s notice. The planned closures are related to construction on the new bridge.

In the meantime, the DOT will continue water taxi service, even with the bridge open. For those using the water taxi service, hourly departures are scheduled Monday through Saturday. Shuttles will run from Lansing’s City Hall to the landings on each side of the river, and then to the De Soto Community Center, and in reverse. There is no service on Sunday. More information is available on the Iowa DOT’s website.

When the bridge is closed in the future, the closest ways to cross the Mississippi River are by traveling north to La Crosse, Wis. or La Crescent, Minn., or south to Prairie du Chien, Wis. or Marquette, Iowa. Those detours are over an hour out of the way.

The current bridge was constructed in 1931. The new bridge will cost $140 million, with about 80 percent coming from federal funding and the rest split between Wisconsin and Iowa. Work began in 2023 on the new bridge, which is expected to open in 2027.