Construction resumes on Duluth’s London Road with northbound traffic only

Construction resumed on Highway 61, also known as London Road, north of 40th Avenue East, and the corridor was restricted to northbound traffic only through the fall. Southbound drivers were routed onto Superior Street and then back toward 40th Avenue East, while truck traffic faced a longer detour that sent rigs down Superior Street to 21st Avenue East.

The restart put one of Duluth’s busiest east-side roads back under active traffic control after the pause for Grandma’s Marathon weekend. For residents, businesses and visitors who rely on London Road as a gateway between I-35, the Lester River area and neighborhoods farther east, the immediate impact was slower travel, changed access and a longer wait for normal two-way traffic to return.

MnDOT said the project was a nearly $25 million overhaul aimed at smoothing pavement, improving pedestrian safety and reducing congestion. The work included roundabouts at 26th Avenue East and 40th Avenue East, enhanced intersection improvements, lane configuration and pavement-marking changes, drainage improvements, full sidewalk replacement to ADA standards, driveway apron replacement, boulevard tree removal and replacement, roadway lighting upgrades and a rectangular rapid-flashing beacon for pedestrian crossing at 32nd Avenue East and 60th Avenue East.

The agency said London Road carries roughly 17,000 vehicles a day between I-35 and 40th Avenue East, about 13,000 a day between 40th Avenue East and 47th Avenue East, and just under 11,000 a day between 47th Avenue East and 60th Avenue East. MnDOT’s intersection study for 26th Avenue East and 40th Avenue East examined congestion, wait times, turning movements, traffic calming, vehicle safety, pedestrian and bike mobility and safety, and right-of-way needs over the next 30-plus years. Both signals were found to be past the end of their lifecycle.

MnDOT held a public information meeting April 7 at Duluth East High School Auditorium, and weekly virtual public update meetings were set to begin May 6, with email updates also available. The project started April 27, 2026, with roundabout work at 26th Avenue East and utility relocation at 40th Avenue East before the marathon-weekend pause. MnDOT said the work was expected to run through November 2026 and continue into 2027, while its project website said a 2021 corridor survey drew more than 2,200 responses and roundabouts were chosen to better handle traffic flow while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety.