Historic Context

Superior Street is one of Duluth's oldest streets. Once a trail cut through the wilderness, it is now a commercial and retail hub that is the focal point for the downtown area. As the main route through Duluth, the street has undergone a series of transportation and streetscape-related changes:

 

 

Project Goals and Objectives

At the outset of the planning process for Superior Street, project objectives were arrived upon to guide the development of design concepts and to employ the objectives as evaluation criteria to assist in determining a preferred scheme. Planning objectives include the following:

• Accommodate current and forecasted traffic
• Accommodate vehicles, transit, pedestrian and bicycle movement
• Meet Municipal State-Aid (MSA) design requirements
• Replace or repair affected public utilities and coordinate with private utility improvements
• Comply with ADA guidelines, promote public and user safety and improve pedestrian mobility
• Consider future operation and seasonal needs, reduce surface maintenance
• Improve pedestrian connections
• Contribute to meeting parking requirements

• Accommodate transit facilities and related operations
• Reinforce Superior Street as a ‘signature street’
• Provide energy efficient lighting for safety and aesthetics, comply with dark sky guidelines
• Provide programmable space for festival activities and civic events
• Incorporate wayfinding systems
• Contribute to Duluth’s economic climate and business vitality
• Conform to the project’s cost parameters and available funding
• Implement construction project staging and phasing to minimize adverse business impacts