This 2013 study identifies opportunities for MnDOT’s 2015-2016 pavement resurfacing project to improve safety, provide multi-modal connections and spur economic development along this roadway.
Public Meeting about Highway 23 Reconstruction
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 6
Date & Time
12/18/2013
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
12/18/2013
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location
5830 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
5830 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
Purpose
MnDOT is hosting a public meeting about its upcoming reconstruction project on Highway 23 (also known as Grand Avenue), from Interstate-35 to Becks Road. The two-year-long project will include new driving surfaces, storm sewer and sidewalk improvements, enhanced pedestrian crossings and additional bus stops.
The meeting will address the recommendations from the Metropolitan Interstate Council’s (MIC’s) recent Highway 23/Grand Ave Corridor Study as well as specific improvements that have been funded by a new Corridor Investment Management Strategy (CIMS) Grant. Some intersections onto Grand Avenue will be consolidated, relocated or closed to increase safety.
Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the city of Duluth will be available to answer questions, provide information on the construction schedule, the CIMS elements and other details about the project.
Participants at the meeting will be able to ask questions and provide feedback about both the study recommendations and the roadway reconstruction project.
If you have questions or cannot attend the meeting, please call Derek Fredrickson, MnDOT Project Manager, at 218-725-2744.
Public Meeting for Grand Avenue Residents and Business Owners
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 5
Date & Time
03/28/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
03/28/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
8551 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
8551 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
Purpose
This will be the last of three public meetings to be held this month about Mn/DOT’s planned 2015 resurfacing project for Grand Avenue (between I-35 and Beck’s Road) and to get input about potential issues before the scope of the project is finalized.
Although the road improvement project will not take place until 2015, Mn/DOT’s scope of work must be finalized this spring and could include some of the recommendations put forward by the MIC study and the public input process.
Hwy 23 is an aging concrete road with bituminous pavement on top. MnDOT anticipates having to dig up the road in some places to repair storm sewers and will be coordinating with the City of Duluth to identify other possible utility work.
Planners from the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council (MIC) will be facilitating these discussions. The public input meetings are part of a brief study undertaken by the MIC at Mn/DOT’s request, to identify potential safety and access improvements for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users that might be included as part of the 2015 project.
Public Meeting for Grand Avenue Residents and Business Owners
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 4
Date & Time
03/14/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
03/14/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
1242 88th Avenue West
Duluth, MN
1242 88th Avenue West
Duluth, MN
Purpose
Second of three public meetings to be held this month about Mn/DOT’s planned 2015 resurfacing project for Grand Avenue (between I-35 and Beck’s Road) and to get input about potential issues before the scope of the project is finalized.
Although the road improvement project will not take place until 2015, Mn/DOT’s scope of work must be finalized this spring and could include some of the recommendations put forward by the MIC study and the public input process.
Hwy 23 is an aging concrete road with bituminous pavement on top. MnDOT anticipates having to dig up the road in some places to repair storm sewers and will be coordinating with the City of Duluth to identify other possible utility work.
Planners from the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council (MIC) will be facilitating these discussions. The public input meetings are part of a brief study undertaken by the MIC at Mn/DOT’s request, to identify potential safety and access improvements for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users that might be included as part of the 2015 project.
Public Meeting for Grand Avenue Residents and Business Owners
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 3
Date & Time
03/12/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
03/12/2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
5830 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
5830 Grand Avenue
Duluth, MN
Purpose
First of three public meetings to be held this month about Mn/DOT’s planned 2015 resurfacing project for Grand Avenue (between I-35 and Beck’s Road) and to get input about potential issues before the scope of the project is finalized.
Although the road improvement project will not take place until 2015, Mn/DOT’s scope of work must be finalized this spring and could include some of the recommendations put forward by the MIC study and the public input process.
Hwy 23 is an aging concrete road with bituminous pavement on top. MnDOT anticipates having to dig up the road in some places to repair storm sewers and will be coordinating with the City of Duluth to identify other possible utility work.
Planners from the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council (MIC) will be facilitating these discussions. The public input meetings are part of a brief study undertaken by the MIC at Mn/DOT’s request, to identify potential safety and access improvements for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users that might be included as part of the 2015 project.
Jurisdictional Stakeholders Meeting
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 2
Date & Time
03/08/2013
8:30 am - 10:00 am
03/08/2013
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Location
1123 Mesaba Ave
Duluth, MN 55811
1123 Mesaba Ave
Duluth, MN 55811
Purpose
Input session with jurisdictional stakeholders (including the City of Duluth, MnDOT, Duluth Transit Authority, ISD 709 and the DNR), to give an overview of the project and to discuss issues and opportunities.
Principal Stakeholders Meeting
Highway 23 / Grand Avenue Meeting 1
Date & Time
02/07/2013
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
02/07/2013
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Location
1123 Mesaba Avenue
Duluth, MN
1123 Mesaba Avenue
Duluth, MN
Purpose
Project kickoff meeting with the primary stakeholders in the project (MnDOT, City of Duluth, MIC staff).
Beginning in February 2013, MIC and MnDOT staff collaborated in an outreach and information-gathering effort to inform the planning of their Highway 23 project scheduled for the 2015 and 2016 construction seasons.
MnDOT will be resurfacing five miles of the major roadway serving West Duluth (Grand Avenue/Highway 23) from Becks Rd west to I-35. Although it is programmed as a resurfacing project (with repairs to storm sewer and culverts and bringing sidewalk up to ADA standards), no significant alteration or expansion of the roadway is planned.
However, MnDOT was aware that neighborhood residents and business owners have unique concerns or desires for the roadway and that the $11 million project presented a significant opportunity to include improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and businesses along the corridor at the same time the pavement is being repaired.
Therefore, the MIC was asked to examine existing conditions and identify issues for all modes of travel along the corridor. The resulting Grand Avenue Corridor Plan puts forward recommendations to incorporate safety and connectivity improvements for all users—motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders—for possible inclusion in the scope of work for MnDOT’s resurfacing project.
Context Zones – Not a ‘One Size Fits All’ Approach
Land use and transportation patterns change significantly from one end of the 5-mile study corridor to the other—and with these differences come distinct issues and opportunities. Subsequently, some actions or improvements are recommended in one area of the corridor but not in others.
Therefore the study was organized according to six different “context zones” or segments of distinct character within the 5-mile segment of Highway 23.
By studying the Highway 23 corridor in this manner, the MIC aimed to identify potential improvements that would be both targeted and potentially more cost-effective for MnDOT and the City of Duluth.
Striking a Balance between Multiple Uses
City officials and interest groups see Highway 23/Grand Avenue as a leading growth corridor in the coming decades, anticipating increases in commercial, residential, and industrial development. Greater demand for non-motorized access to recreational amenities and other activity centers such as the Munger Trail, the Lake Superior Zoo, and Spirit Mountain ski hills is also anticipated.
Highway 23/Grand Avenue the only arterial roadway in the westernmost part of town, providing access to commercial and industrial uses in West Duluth and also serving as a bypass route for heavy-haul trucks that exceed the weight limits on I-35.
Public Input
As summarized in the Public Participation section, the study was conducted on an unusually tight time frame (a couple of months) and included an intensive public involvement process to gather public input from neighborhood residents, businesses, bicycle, motor vehicle and public transit commuters and recreational users of the roadway.
Much of the stakeholder feedback focused on concerns about pedestrian safety, along with the need to better accommodate bicyclists. There was, however, opposition in almost equal measure to making more space in the roadway for bicycles. It is important to protect the vehicle capacity of Grand Avenue for residential, commercial and freight travel.
The input of these multiple stakeholders made it clear that the corridor needs to accommodate both regional through-travel and heavy commercial vehicles, along with local trips to businesses, residences, trails and transit stops.
CIMS Grant—A Timely Opportunity to Leverage Additional Funds
The timing of this study happened to coincide with a one-time opportunity to fund the types of improvements that will improve the mobility, safety, and access for non-motorized users of this roadway, as well as enhancements to support economic development.
The MIC staff used its research, collection of stakeholder input and preliminary recommendations to inform and support an effort led by the City of Duluth Department of Economic Development to apply for MnDOT Corridor Investment Management Systems (CIMS) grant pilot project.
Duluth was awarded $3 million for the Grand Avenue project to include widened and reconstructed sidewalks, improved links to the Munger Trail, better pedestrian crossings, relocated and realigned signals, bus pullouts, multimodal nodes and street design improvements. The Grand Avenue project was the only one of ten CIMS grants awarded for a project north of the Twin Cities area.
Highway 23 - Grand Avenue Corridor Study
GrandAve-Hwy23_Study-Duluth-2013.pdf(40.2 MB – see individual chapters for smaller file sizes)
Ch. 3 - Existing Conditions and Analysis (Part 1)
3.1-Conditions-Analysis_GrandAve-Hwy23.pdf(5.8 MB)
Ch. 3 - Existing Conditions and Analysis (Part 2)
3.2-Conditions-Analysis_GrandAve-Hwy23.pdf(13 MB)
This document presents the findings of a corridor study of the segment of MN State Highway 23 between Becks Road and Interstate 35 in Duluth, Minnesota. This roadway, known also as Grand Avenue, serves as a principal arterial in west Duluth and is important as both a regional connector and and as a local transportation corridor.
The study focused on how well the roadway is currently serving multiple modes of transportation, but it also considered the potential for redevelopment and increasing traffic. The findings indicate that the corridor is not sufficiently serving non-motorized forms of transportation, given potential demand. The findings also suggest, however, the possibility for a level of future growth in West Duluth that that could increase motorized traffic and worsen conditions for all users under the existing constraints.
The findings of this study have led to a series of recommended improvements (found in Section 4 of this document) which have been presented to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the City of Duluth. These recommendations represent a menu of short– and mid-term options that could improve the existing corridor for both motorized and non-motorized users. The majority of these improvements can be implemented within the existing public right-of-way and with moderate levels of investment.