The Minnesota Department of Transportation is kicking into high gear with its road construction season, including three projects in the Duluth area that start next week.
Projects that will affect drivers in coming days:
Interstate 35 between Scanlon and Boundary Avenue in Duluth will be restricted to a single lane in each direction beginning Monday for about eight weeks. All traffic will use the southbound lanes while the northbound lanes are being reconstructed. The on- and off-ramps at County Road 61, exit 245, also will close while they are being reconstructed. All the ramps at Midway Road (County Road 13), exit 246, will remain open and all businesses will remain accessible.
Motorists traveling north on I-35 can use the County Road 13 exit and follow the marked detour to access County Road 61 businesses. The detour will follow Midway Road south to Becks Road and Becks Road west to Stenman Road for the Buffalo House, or County Road 13 to County Road 73 for businesses on County Road 73.
County Road 61 will be open to Becks Road and Stenman Road during construction, providing access to all businesses from County Road 61. This is the second year of construction on this
$30.1 million project. The project is scheduled for completion in October.
The Superior-bound right lane on the Interstate 535/Blatnik Bridge will close to traffic for several weeks beginning Monday. One Superior-bound lane will remain open. Motorists may also encounter temporary, Duluth-bound single-lane closures between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. next week. The two-year Blatnik Bridge rehabilitation project began in May 2012. The work being done this year includes painting and the installation of a new lighting system. The project is scheduled for completion in October.
