Opinion by Robert Knighton, Duluth

May 12, 2022 at 2:21 PM

The article “ Cover I-35 in Duluth? ” (News Tribune, May 7) shows an at-grade parkway as the “reimagined Interstate 35 corridor through downtown Duluth,” but the picture lacks one important detail: the perpetual traffic jam.

The artist’s conception shows a total of eight cars facing the intersection. Where are the trucks? The RVs and pickups hauling boats on a summer weekend? The Duluth residents who use I-35 to get quickly from one end of our elongated city to the other? Rather than “promote a more livable, equitable and sustainable city,” an at-grade parkway would be a nightmare for traffic and a deadly hazard for pedestrians.

Fortunately, the article presents an alternative from landscape architect Kent Worley, a proven source of wisdom: a tunnel for the traffic and a park for the people. Thirty years after construction of Kent’s earlier vision, the Rose Garden, Leif Erikson Park and Gichi-ode’ Akiing continue to provide an attractive connection between the city and Lake Superior for visitors and residents alike. Let’s listen to him again.

Robert Knighton

Duluth

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Reader's View: Let’s listen to Kent Worley

Thirty years after construction of Kent’s earlier vision, the Rose Garden, Leif Erikson Park and Gichi-ode’ Akiing continue to provide an attractive connection between the city and Lake Superior for visitors and residents alike.

Readers' View and Local Views