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411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
SUBJECT: 34.9 miles of street improvement in 2009
BY: Pakou Ly
34.9 miles of street improvement in 2009
The City of Duluth along with representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) and St. LouisCounty presented an overview of the street improvement projects completed in 2009. In total, all three entities repaired 34.9 miles of roads within Duluth, not including the work on I-35. The projects consisted of mill and overlay, capping, total reconstruction, and curb and sidewalk reconstruction.
The City of Duluth implemented the Mayor’s aggressive street improvement strategy which resulted in 16.6 miles of city street construction in 2009. The City’s 2009 street improvement program improved more miles of city streets than the previous four years (2005-08) combined. The 2010 city street improvement plan will reair 22 additional miles as part of the Mayor’s plan to improve up to 100 miles of city streets in five years.
“The success of our program is an investment in the future of our city,” said Mayor Ness. “Not only are we making a critical investment in our streets, we are improving the perception of Duluth in the eyes of residents, visitors, and the private sector investment we hope to attract to our area.”
The Minnesota Department of Transportation completed work on a two mile stretch of Central Entrance and the Mall area. Work on Highway 23 in Gary New Duluth is near completion. This does not include the bridge and pavement work completed on I-35 from Boundary Avenue into West Duluth. St. Louis County managed the work on Haines Road, a portion of the Mall area project, and Upper and Lower Rice Lake Road.
"Highway 23 from Gary to Fond du Lac and Central Entrance were very much needed projects, but they were not in the funding plan of our four year highway construction program until the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act"(ARRA) was passed earlier this year. The ARRA federal funds allowed us to complete an additional $38 million of needed state highway work this year in northeast Minnesota," said Michael Tardy, Assistant District Engineer for MNDOT.
“All told, we have improved 34.9 miles of roads this year making 2009 one of the most successful street construction seasons our city has ever had,” said Mayor Ness. “We thank St. LouisCounty and MN-DOT for their important investments within the city of Duluth and we look to continue this partnership.”
Future projects include the final phases of Woodland Avenue which will be completed by the City and St. LouisCounty. MNDOT is planning significant work along I-35 in the next year. Information has been provided to the public with more details forthcoming as we approach the next construction season.
Funding for the projects come from a combination of federal stimulus funds, federal transportation funds, local funds, and Minnesota State Aid.