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Lakewalk Restoration Below Fitger’s Complex Scheduled to Start October 8

[Duluth, MN] – As the one-year anniversary of the October 2017 storm surge approaches, the City of Duluth is making it a priority to ensure that an essential segment of the Lakewalk Trail is restored before the full onset of winter as part of a multi-phase restoration. Starting Monday, October 8, 2018 the City’s contractor will be mobilizing equipment, installing protective fencing around the project zone and temporarily removing the boardwalk as part of an approved emergency repair totaling about $1.18 million. The project is estimated to be finished by the end of December, barring any weather delays with additional final completion planned for spring 2019.

The initial restoration will occur in phases and will be focused within the area of the veteran memorials and the staircase leading to the Portland Malt Shoppe. Previous gale force winds washed ashore gravel, relocated boulders, eroded the shoreline and dislodged the wooden boardwalk. The upcoming project will increase the resiliency of the trail to future weather challenges, restores and reinforces the revetement, creates a 300-foot concrete buffer for the boardwalk from the threat of high waves, and prevents further erosion of the shoreline with strategic placement of large boulders.

The public will see crews working Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. The need for multiple types of equipment and access to the shoreline will require the temporary closure of this portion of the Lakewalk to public access. A signed detour (see map) will divert trail users into Lake Place Park and at Leif Erikson Park towards Superior Street to ensure safety of the public. The staircases leading down to the Lakewalk Trail from the Fitger's Complex and the Portland Malt Shoppe will be closed to the public, with the exception of some pre-arranged access for special events at the Fitger's Complex this winter.  

Once the initial work is substantially complete in this area, one lane of the trail will reopen to public use, though some barriers will remain in place, until spring 2019 when crews will return to install the boardwalk, replace the asphalt section, and complete the armor stone. This second phase will require closure of the trail once again for a temporary period. 

Members of the media are invited for a project briefing with City staff on Monday, October 8 at 10 AM by the outdoor staircase behind the Fitger's Complex.     

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