1st Street From Mesaba To 24th Ave. E In Duluth Converting To Two-Way Traffic

Driving on 1st Street in Duluth can be confusing, with some sections having one-way traffic while others have two-way traffic.  Soon, there will be consistency.

The City Of Duluth has begun to covert First Street from Mesaba to 24th Avenue East to two-way traffic as a part of a phased process.

This conversion will eliminate the inconsistent traffic flow that had been found on First Street, which caused confusion for motorists.

The City says they completed a traffic study in 2019 that concluded the benefits of the project included:

1. More direct access in the Downtown, Medical, and eastern residential areas, along with better circulation between the three areas.
2. Improved business visibility and access
3. Reduction of travel speeds expected between 5 to 10 mph
4. Improved pedestrian safety due to reduced speed, elimination of wrong-way drivers, and changes in traffic control devices
5. Reduced driver delay time given traffic control changes and the ability to take more direct routes to destinations. Reduced response time is also a notable benefit for emergency services.

This project has many moving parts, including signage changes, centerline striping, and intersection traffic control changes.

In regards to the traffic control changes, here is what motorists can expect:

• 5th Avenue West: Traffic Signal will be covered for 90 days (with the intent to remove at the end of the 90 days), and stop signs will be installed on all legs creating an all-way stop condition.
• 1st Ave East: Traffic Signal will be covered for 90 days (with the intent to remove at the end of the 90 days), and stop signs will be installed on all legs creating an all-way stop condition.
• 2nd Avenue East: Traffic Signal will be covered for 90 days (with the intent to remove at the end of the 90 days), and stop signs will be installed on all legs creating an all-way stop condition.
• 14th Avenue East: All-way stop will be converted to through stop condition

You can follow the link below to the view the complete timeline for all facets of this project.