Airport Road closes for railroad crossing upgrade in Lake County

Lake County is warning drivers that Airport Road, or County Road 111, will close to through traffic between Waldo Road and Highway 2 for a railroad crossing upgrade that will interrupt one of the key connectors on the west side of Two Harbors.

The closure is scheduled to begin Monday, May 18 at 6 a.m. and, if the work stays on schedule, reopen Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m. CN requested the shutdown so crews can upgrade the west railroad crossing on Airport Road. During the project, the tracks and rail-crossing surface will be removed, which means highway traffic will not be able to pass through the crossing until construction is finished.

The county says residential and local access will remain open on either side of the crossing, but through traffic will be diverted. That matters for commuters, deliveries and anyone using the Airport Road corridor to move between the highway system and the west side of town. Even a short closure on this route can change trip times and force drivers onto other local roads during the workweek.

Lake County Highway Department, which is responsible for the efficient planning, design, construction and maintenance of the county highway system, oversees 375 miles of roadways and 77 structures. The department said work of this kind is part of the broader traffic-control planning that keeps county projects moving while protecting motorists and crews.

MnDOT describes a temporary traffic control zone as an area where road-user conditions change because of a work zone or incident, and says safety in the work zone is the primary consideration. That is the standard now facing drivers on Airport Road, where the closure will reshape traffic patterns around the crossing until the railroad work is done.

The crossing upgrade also fits into a larger CN investment picture in Minnesota. CN said it planned to invest about US$60 million in the state in 2025, including more than US$9 million for its Two Harbors rail yard and more than US$2.5 million for work at its Duluth Iron Ore Dock. The company said it invested about US$77 million in Minnesota in 2024 and operates roughly 426 route miles in the state with about 569 employees.