A long-term plan to systematically address current and future transportation needs from County Road 61 in Midway Township to 26th Avenue East in Duluth

Duluth Area I-35 Corridor Plan

The plan is complete and consists of five separate reports, posted under the 'Final Plan Documents' tab below. The Duluth Area I-35 Corridor Plan is the culmination of 18 months of technical analysis and community engagement. Jointly sponsored by the MIC and MnDOT, its goals are to: Define an ultimate...

The plan is complete and consists of five separate reports,
posted under the ‘Final Plan Documents’ tab below.

The Duluth Area I-35 Corridor Plan is the culmination of 18 months of technical analysis and community engagement.

Jointly sponsored by the MIC and MnDOT, its goals are to:

  • Define an ultimate vision for I-35 that is innovative, realistic, fundable, and ensures safety, mobility, economic vitality, resiliency, and access for all modes of travel,
  • Secure public and agency support for the ultimate vision, and
  • Develop a detailed implementation plan outlining future improvements, sequencing, timing, cost and agency responsibility.

Summary of Recommended Improvements

The plan identifies recommended improvement projects and next steps, prioritized into short, mid, and long-term timeframes:.

Short-term (2024-2029)

  • Seek funding and conduct a Downtown/Canal Park small area plan
  • Seek funding and conduct a Spirit Valley/West Duluth neighborhood small area plan
  • Seek funding for roadway design and signal enhancement at Lake Avenue
  • Seek funding for bridge improvements at 5th Avenue W
  • Seek funding and advance concepts for Thompson Hill area into MnDOT planned 2028-2029 project
  • London Road roundabout
  • Assess and integrate intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in upcoming projects

Medium-term (2029-2034)

  • Continue to study and refine I-35/Grand Ave and Central Ave Consolidated Interchange concept based on Spirit Valley West Duluth neighborhood plan
  • Continue to study feasibility of Downtown Lid concept based on Downtown/Canal Park small area plan
  • Advance and complete spot improvements such as 40th Avenue W. and 27th Avenue W.
  • Update the I-35 Corridor Plan to reflect progress, current conditions, needs, priorities and funding

Long-term (2035+)

  • Advance Downtown/Canal Pak small area plan designs into project development

Opportunity-Driven

  • Consider multimodal improvements during opportunity-driven projects such as 21st Ave traffic control and Garfield Ave multimodal improvements
  • Reevaluate Ugstad Road interchange warrants if land use and/or transportation conditions change

Summary of Community Engagement

Engagement revealed a vision for a more pedestrian-friendly, environmentally conscious, and economically vibrant Duluth. Key themes include the importance of connectivity, balancing tourism with local needs, and prioritizing people and the environment.

During engagement, the team:

  • Heard from more than 120 people at in-person meetings
  • Received more than 450 online surveys
  • Held virtual focus group and stakeholder meetings
  • Received more than 100 online map comments

About the Project

I. What We Know about the I-35 Corridor – Background Data

Background Nearly 29,000 people live within ½ mile of the 14-mile section of I-35. The section includes 16 interchanges and 30 intersections. Three distinct segments existing within the study section:Rural – Midway Township to Cody Street. I-35 in this segment is mostly surrounded by undeveloped land with pockets of development at and near access points.Urban – from Cody Street to Garfield Avenue. I-35 in this segment is surrounded by low- to mid density residential, commercial, and industrial land uses.Downtown – from Garfield Avenue to 26th Avenue East. I-35 in this segment passes the Duluth central business district with increased residential and business density before density begins to decrease on eastern end.The plan will build on past studies including: 

  • Downtown Duluth Modal Connections Study
  • Connections 2040
  • Sustainable Choices 2045
  • I-35 Bayfront Traffic Modeling & Event Traffic Control Plan
  • 5th Avenue Bridge Planning Study
  • Proctor Transportation Plan
  • DTA Better Bus Blueprint
  • Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Pedestrian Plan
  • Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Bikeways Plan
  • MnDOT District 1 Freight Plan
  • Duluth Waterfront Collective

Context 

I-35 in Duluth serves/served many roles including as a disruptor, divider, segregator, connector, resource, and opportunity.

Likely barriers in rural subarea 

  • Lack of density for efficient transportation and utilities 
  • Challenging topography that makes development either expensive or infeasible 
  • Land use policies or protections 

Likely barriers in urban subarea 

  • Challenging geography, geology, and weather 
  • Limited stock of flat, greenfield sites 
  • Land use policies or protections 

Likely barriers in downtown subarea 

  • Challenging geography, geology, and weather 
  • Challenging topography that makes development either expensive or infeasible 
  • Limited stock of flat, greenfield sites 
  • Land use policies or protections 

 Planned/Programmed Improvements 

Planned improvements include the Twin Ports Interchange (TPI), Thompson Hill, 5th Ave bridge, and the Blatnik bridge. 

Existing Conditions 

Pavement conditions in most segments are in good shape. Thompson Hill and Canal Park are at end of service life and the northern end is approaching end of service life. 

 67 structures along the corridor. 5 are functionally obsolete and 1 is structurally deficient.  

 12 retaining walls are present in MnDOT right-of-way. The oldest is the Thompson Hill wall and is 1,000 feet long and made of stone.  

 4 tunnels, including the Leif Erickson tunnel, for a combined 3,300 feet in length. 

 A significant investment in infrastructure exists within the I-35 corridor. If the I-35 corridor from Thompson Hill to 26th Ave E were reconstructed today it would cost more than  $750,000,000 (in 2022 dollars).  

Environmental Justice 

Across all Environmental Justice factors, the 1-mile area around I-35 corridor ranks in the 64th percentile for the State. This means that across all Environmental Justice factors, the 1-mile area is equal to or higher than where 64 percent of Minnesotans live across the state.

For example, in the graphic below, Ozone is noted at 77th Minnesota percentile and 53rd national percentile. Which means that Ozone in the 1-mile area is equal to or higher than where 77 percent of Minnesotan live and 53 percent of where people in the United States live.

Traffic Volumes 

Rural segment traffic 

  • I-35

Traffic: 27,000-36,000  

Trucks: 3,000-3,400 (10%) 

  • US 2 to Proctor  

Traffic: 10,400  

Trucks: 1,300 (12.5%) 

  • Midway Rd 

Traffic: 3,600-7,300 

  • Cody St 

Traffic: 4,300 

  • Boundary Ave 

Traffic: 3,000 

  • Highway 61 

Traffic: 2,800 

 

Urban segment traffic

• I-35

Traffic: 35,500-46,000

Trucks: 2,000-3,400 (5-10%)

• I-535 Blatnik Bridge

Traffic: 28,100

Trucks: 1,600 (6%)

• US 2 Bong Bridge

Traffic: 17,900

Trucks: 840 (5%)

• US 53

Traffic: 22,900

• Grand Ave

Traffic: 8,000-14,900

Daily Pedestrian & Bike: 29

• Central Ave N

Daily Pedestrian & Bike: 58

Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge east of 37 ½ Avenue W

Daily Pedestrian & Bike: 29

• N 27th Ave W

Traffic: 11,800

Daily Pedestrian & Bike: 17

Downtown segment traffic

•  I-35

Traffic: 16,100-46,000

Trucks: 1,300-3,100 (3-9%)

•  Mesaba Ave

Traffic: 21,800

Trucks: 370 (2%)

•  Lake Ave

Traffic: 18,600

Peds/Bikes: 448

•  5th Ave W

Traffic: 4,400

Peds/Bikes: 222

•  21st Ave E

Traffic: 14,200

~200 peds/bikes over 3 tunnels

 

Traffic Variability 

  • Rural area sees greatest monthly fluctuations 
  • Urban area is the most stable 
  • June-October 10%+ increase from annual average 
  • December-February 10% decrease from annual average 
  • Friday 16% higher than weekly average 
  • Monday & Tuesday 10% lower than weekly average

Events 

Events at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center and waterfront significantly effect travel demand.  

Safety 

 

II. What We Heard – Feedback from the Community

Phase one engagement is complete. We want to thank everyone who participated and shared their experiences with us between May 2022 and January 2023. Although sentiments and desired outcomes varied among those who participated, there was an understanding that changes to I-35 affect the city of Duluth and the region beyond transportation. Any changes have the potential to affect industry, development, safety, and the environment. A few themes we heard were:

• I-35 as a barrier to connectivity
• Modification or elimination of interstate in downtown Duluth as an opportunity for development
• The important role I-35 serves in the local economy and its connection to the port, freight, and tourism

We also heard concerns regarding driver safety, traffic speeds, walkability, and the desire for infrastructure improvements to meet the needs of people who live along I-35.
Engagement activities included:

• Online engagement
• Pop-up engagement at Sidewalk Days
• Public meeting
• Virtual focus group meetings

We are using what we learned from the community, along with technical expertise, to develop potential improvements that will be presented to the community for feedback.

What we heard in 2022

We asked participants to rate statements from strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1).

83 participants completed a survey in-person or online. Themes include:

• Safety while driving on I-35
• Safer and more connected bike and pedestrian access
• Increased access between downtown and the lakefront
• Infrastructure that supports community and economic development
• Walkability and improved public transit
• A corridor that supports the demands of tourism and industry

Respondent comments included:
• “Better on/off ramps. Most are hard to navigate. Not enough space/time to merge.”
• “More lanes available at busy merge points and exits near highway 2 east and grand / central Ave.”
• “Make it safe for pedestrians, cyclists to access the lake from downtown Duluth, as well as the ability to safely cross I-35 in other areas along the corridor.”
• “Better connection across I-35 for walkers and bikers.”
• “A sustainable city where people come to visit and live to take advantage of all that makes Duluth unique and special.”
• “A mix of businesses to serve both residents and tourists. Not overly burdening residents is important to me.”
• “Walkable streets, protected bike lanes that can access businesses. Being able to enjoy being downtown and see the lake, not ugly concrete.”

Comments on the online interactive map included:
• Improving intersections near Cloquet
• Creating an alternate route connecting to Hwy 61 to bypass the City of Duluth
• Increased connectivity from Lincoln Park to Lake Superior
• Increased connectivity to the Spirit Mountain neighborhood
• Improving the pedestrian bridge over I-35
• Improve pedestrian connections at the Century Avenue underpass
• Creating an exit from I-35 onto Garfield Avenue
• Creating an at-grade parkway between downtown Duluth and Canal Park and the Bayfront area
• An improved pedestrian experience at the Lake Avenue intersection
• Modifying the London Road/I-35 intersection to enlarge lakefront greenspace

 

 

 

Questions?

Connect with Us

If you have questions or feedback about the project, you’re encouraged to reach out to the project contact at any time. The MIC team welcomes comments, ideas, or requests for more information throughout the planning process.
Ron Chicka headshot

Ron Chicka, AICP

Director

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