Northland lawmakers tout Highway 61 and sewer funding for Two Harbors

Highway 61 in Two Harbors moved closer to a rebuild that city leaders have been chasing for years, and the late-session package now gives the North Shore a clearer path toward two projects residents are likely to feel for years: road work on the city’s main corridor and sewer repairs tied to Lake Superior protection.

The clearest local dollar figure is the sewer money. State bill language appropriates $958,000 to the Duluth North Shore Sanitary District to design, engineer and build improvements that reduce inflow and infiltration in the collection system. That work includes sewer lining, pipe replacement or rehabilitation, manhole rehabilitation, flow monitoring and related collection-system upgrades. The stated purpose is to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and cut pollution reaching Lake Superior, a result that matters directly to Lake County communities that depend on clean water, tourism and shoreline reliability.

The highway piece is larger in scope even if the final session summary did not put a number next to it. MnDOT says the Two Harbors Highway 61 project has been in development since 2018 and is now in final design, with construction planned for 2027 and 2028 and some utility work expected in 2026. That makes the late-session funding more than a symbolic nod. It lands on a project that is already moving toward construction, not one that is still stuck in the planning stage.

Two Harbors had asked for $6 million in state help for the utility infrastructure needed alongside the Highway 61 reconstruction. That request reflects the scale of the work ahead on the city’s lifeline corridor, where road reconstruction, utility replacements and downtown access issues tend to overlap. Even before full construction begins, residents and businesses could notice survey activity, utility relocation and other preparatory work tied to the 2026 phase.

Northland lawmakers also pointed to a broader regional package that included utility expansions in Proctor and Rice Lake, funding for water systems in Ely, Grand Marais and International Falls, support for the 148th Fighter Wing and money to replace the 75-year-old air traffic control tower at Duluth International Airport. Republican Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar said the tower project was critical because it could unlock federal matching dollars, while Democratic Sen. Grant Hauschild said the final deal delivered a success for the Northland and included $125 million in property tax relief for Minnesota homeowners.

For Lake County, though, the most tangible takeaways are closer to home: a better shot at fixing Highway 61 and a sewer investment aimed at keeping pollution out of Lake Superior.