Weekend I-35 closure planned for Duluth bridge demolition

Drivers crossing Duluth faced a full weekend shutdown of Interstate 35 as crews tore down the pedestrian bridge just south of Mesaba Avenue, forcing traffic onto a signed detour through I-535, Garfield Avenue, Railroad Street and 5th Avenue W. MnDOT said the closure began at 10 p.m. Friday, June 12, and ran until 5 a.m. Monday, June 15, with delays expected for commuters, delivery traffic and anyone trying to move through the city corridor.

The closure affected one of the region’s most important travel links, where I-35 carries traffic between downtown Duluth, hillside neighborhoods and the interchange near Mesaba Avenue. MnDOT said the bridge demolition required a full interstate closure, not a lane reduction, because the structure being removed spans the roadway just south of Mesaba Avenue. After the weekend work, motorists were set to see lane shifts on I-35, along with limited single-lane closures and several overnight full closures later in the summer.

Pedestrians lost the bridge earlier, when MnDOT closed it at 7 a.m. Friday, June 12. The pedestrian crossing will stay shut until the project is completed in October 2026, and MnDOT said the detours for people on foot will change in three stages as other work in the area continues. The first detour stage follows the City of Duluth’s Cross City trail detour, giving walkers and bikers a route around the construction zone.

MnDOT also said no work will occur during Grandma’s Marathon weekend, a pause that should limit the project’s impact on one of Duluth’s busiest annual traffic periods. The bridge replacement is part of a broader I-35 rehabilitation effort between Mesaba Avenue and 21st Avenue East, a $13 million project meant to improve load-carrying capacity and extend the service life of the bridge between Mesaba Avenue and 5th Avenue W.

The project is being delivered through the design-build method, and MnDOT held a public meeting about the bridge on Aug. 9, 2023, at the Lincoln Park Community Center. MnDOT says decorative elements will be built into the new bridge, signaling that the replacement is intended to do more than restore the crossing. For now, the practical reality is simpler: one of Duluth’s key interstate links is cut off for demolition, and more traffic disruptions are still ahead.