State and local officials will gather in Winona July 18 for a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the start of construction on the Winona bridge project, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The public is invited to attend the event at 11 a.m. July 18 in the AmericInn parking lot at 60 Riverview Drive in Winona. The site is where the new bridge will enter Winona from Wisconsin. If there is inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the city council chambers at Winona City Hall, 207 Lafayette St.

Parking is available near the hotel under the bridge, as well as across Riverview Drive.

Weather permitting, construction on the Winona bridge project will begin the week of July 21. The prime contractor for the project is Ames Construction. The project cost is estimated at $162 million, which includes right-of-way.  A new bridge will be built to the north of the existing bridge and then crews will rehabilitate the existing bridge, giving Winona four lanes of traffic crossing the bridge on Highway 43 over the Mississippi River.