I-35 Lane Closures Now In Place in Duluth for Twin Ports Interchange Project
The Duluth Interchange Project, aka the infamous Can Of Worms, continues to make progress, which is both a blessing and a curse for motorists who drive near the area on a regular basis. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden likely got a firsthand view of it as he made his way from the Duluth International Airport to Superior.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation also just announced another inconvenience motorists on I-35 will encounter, but at least this one is only in place for a limited time.
According to MnDOT, Motorists traveling northbound on I-35 may encounter right lane closures between Highway 53 and Garfield Avenue in Duluth. Intermittent closures are needed to deliver and unload steel bridge girders for the Twin Ports Interchange project.
Motorists can expect to see these restrictions in place as needed from now through sometime around mid-March, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The Minnesota Department of Transportation adds these restrictions are also weather dependent.
The MnDOT video below shows what the freeway will look like when completed from a motorist’s view heading north on I-35 through the Twin Ports Interchange area, then heading to southbound I-35 from I-535, or the Blatnik Bridge, through the Twin Ports Interchange area.
The Twin Ports Interchange Project, which will reconstruct the I-35/I-535/Hwy 53 interchange, looks to improve safety by:
- Providing a new conventional design
- Relocating all exits and entrances to the right side of the roadway
- Improving merging sight distance and eliminating merge conflicts
- Eliminating weaving problems near the interchange
- Providing lane continuity for through I-35 traffic