DOT plans closure, demolition of Lansing Bridge later this fall

LANSING, Iowa (WLCX) – The Department of Transportation in Iowa, along with the Wisconsin DOT, are announcing that the Lansing Bridge connecting Wisconsin to Iowa over the Mississippi will be closed and demolished this fall.

The announcement was made in a press release on Monday.

According to the Iowa DOT, closing and demolishing the existing 94-year-old bridge will help complete the replacement bridge, which is scheduled to open in 2027.

“After extensive engineering analysis and talks between Iowa and Wisconsin DOTs and the contractor, we’ve determined that future construction stages on the new bridge could pose a safety risk to the existing bridge,” the Iowa DOT wrote in a post on the project’s social media page. “So, this fall (2025) crews will close and demolish it so we can safely continue our work and meet the deadline for the 2027 opening of the new bridge.”

The Lansing Bridge, which is also known as the Blackhawk Bridge, connects Crawford County, Wis. near De Soto to Lansing, Iowa. Federal officials estimated that about 2,200 motorists use the bridge daily.

Earlier this year, the bridge was closed due to a sensor detecting a shift in one of the piers on May 17. It was reopened on June 9 after engineers determined there was no safety risk.

After reopening the bridge in June, the Iowa DOT said that future closures were planned, but that the bridge would stay open through the summer.

The bridge was also 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.

While a future closure date has not been announced, the Iowa DOT said that they will plan for alternate river crossings, whether it’s with water taxis or by using the detours to the north at La Crosse, Wis. or to the south at Prairie du Chien, Wis.

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.