New Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing Continues to Take Shape, Existing Bridge to Come Down This Fall

Construction of the new Black Hawk bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing recently surpassed a major milestone.

That’s Pete Hjelmstad with the Mason City District office of the Iowa DOT, who says installing steel for the bridge should start soon.

To support the steel installation, Hjelmstad says they must build “shoring towers,” which will mean the end of the existing Mississippi River bridge.

Hjelmstad says the earliest date the existing Mississippi River bridge at Lansing will close remains October 15th.

The DOT says they will establish a car ferry between Lansing and Wisconsin to transport vehicles back and forth across the river. 

Once the bridge closes, the nearest bridge crossing for motorists is U.S. Highway 18 connecting McGregor, Iowa, to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

The new Black Hawk bridge over the Mississippi is expected to open in 2027.