New Duluth Lakewalk Closure With New Detours Announced

About a month after a sizable piece of the Duluth Lakewalk was closed for a restoration and improvement project, officials with the City of Duluth are announcing the upcoming closure of another piece of the popular trail as the project continues.

A few years ago, a series of powerful winter storms battered the Duluth shoreline of Lake Superior, causing extensive erosion and damage that included portions of the Lakewalk itself being impacted.

In the years since, the City of Duluth has been working through a phased Lakewalk and Coastal Improvements Project to make sure the shoreline itself is more resilient in the face of big waves from powerful storms while also providing improvements to the adjacent Lakewalk.

The latest phase of work got underway on August 18, with the portion of the Duluth Lakewalk between between Leif Erikson Park and Water Street being closed. Coming up on Monday, September 28, another part of the Lakewalk will be closed for this project.

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The new closure that starts on September 28 will extend westward from Leif Erikson Park to Veterans Memorial near Fitgers.

Detours for this new closure will be along Superior Street, though access to Leif Erikson Park will still be available via both bridges across the railroad into the park and access to the Veterans Memorial will be available via the designated railroad crossing.

These closures will remain in effect until the end of October, which is when work will be paused for the winter. During this winter pause, the Lakewalk will reopen to use with some of the trail's surface being gravel.

Work will resume by April of 2027, re-closing the Lakewalk in the work area until the project's completion. The anticipated completion date for this project is by the end of 2027.

What Will The New Blatnik Bridge Replacement Look Like?

The long-standing Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, will be replaced, with work set to begin in February or March of 2027.

The new bridge is expected to open by October 31, 2031, with the completion of the entire project (including miscellaneous work like landscaping) completed by June 30, 2032.

Here's a look at what the new bridge will look like and some of the new features it will offer.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper