Duluth plans mini roundabout at Grand Avenue and 40th Avenue West

Drivers, pedestrians and nearby businesses at Grand Avenue and 40th Avenue West are headed for a major reset: St. Louis County plans to remove the traffic signal and replace it with a mini roundabout as part of a 2026 reconstruction that will stretch about 0.42 mile along the west side of Duluth.

The move is not a standalone traffic tweak. County materials tie it to a corridor study that began in September 2023 and was completed in June 2024, when officials said the pavement, curb and gutter, and signal system at Grand and 40th were nearing the end of their service life. At a public meeting on June 27, 2024, county traffic engineer Victor Lund said the roadway needs to be rebuilt now so it can serve the area for the next 30-plus years.

That rebuilding will change how the corridor works from end to end. The county’s plan calls for a raised center median from Grand Avenue to 8th Street with openings at intersections and alleys, a conversion from four lanes to three lanes, a 10-foot path on the east side, a 6-foot sidewalk on the west side, lighting for the path and intersections, and an enhanced pedestrian crossing with an RRFB at 6th Street. The City of Duluth will replace city utilities along 40th Avenue West alongside the roadway work.

The first phase will stop about 100 feet short of the railroad crossing. A separate 2027 project is planned to replace the signals and gates at the crossing and extend the crossing surface so the east-side path can connect to the existing sidewalk east of Haines Road. That sequencing means people who use the corridor regularly will see two construction cycles, not one, before the rebuild is complete.

County project materials say the roundabout at Grand and 40th would be one of the first of its kind in northern Minnesota, turning a busy signalized intersection into a smaller circular design intended to slow turning movements and reduce conflict points. A final design information meeting was held Oct. 30, 2025 at Denfeld High School in Duluth, showing the project had already moved well past the concept stage.

For west-side residents, the question now is not whether the corridor will change, but how quickly they can adapt to a new traffic pattern that is being built to last. The county is betting that the redesign will make Grand Avenue and 40th Avenue West safer, more orderly and better connected for both drivers and people on foot.