The city has been looking at converting the street from one-way to two-way traffic, hoping to eliminate confusion and increase pedestrian safety by reducing speeds. The road currently toggles between two-way and westbound-only lanes between Mesaba Avenue and 24th Avenue East.
The City Council on Monday will be asked to approve an additional $27,827 for Minneapolis-based Alliant Engineering to draw up final plans and specifications for a full two-way route. That would increase the existing contract to $112,171.
Steven Robertson, a senior city planner, said letters will soon be mailed out to adjacent landowners, but the conversion appears on track to be carried out "as soon as possible this year," pending final approval from the council.
"There's been a lot of talk about looking at trying to fix that," said Robertson, who has been floating the idea since being hired by the city in 2009. "Eleven years later, I think we're finally getting a grip on it."
Robertson said larger vehicles such as SUVs are more common on the streets today, and crashes with pedestrians can result in serious injury or death at speeds as low as 25 mph.
"One-ways are efficient in moving traffic very quickly," he said. "But in downtown areas, where you have a lot of intersections and pedestrians, that's often not the best thing, especially with pedestrian collisions. ... By going to two-way, we're hoping to improve the clarity of the system but also reduce injuries and fatalities."
Addressing concerns raised by residents and business owners at a series of public meetings last year, Robertson said he was informed that plans call for the loss of only about six on-street parking spots and the preservation of most loading zones.
"We're trying to accomplish our mission of making it safer with a minimal impact on adjacent landowners that, frankly, over 20 or 30 years, have come to rely upon a certain layout of the street," Robertson said.
Councilor Arik Forsman said he was supportive of the conversion, but expressed some concern over the number of construction projects facing drivers and pedestrians this year.
Other projects already slated for this spring to fall include:
- The third and final year of the downtown Superior Street reconstruction project, which will close the major thoroughfare from Third Avenue West to Lake Avenue, with additional closures on surrounding avenues. Crews also need to finish up last year's weather-delayed section between Third and Fourth avenues east.
- Essentia's Vision Northland project, which has resulted in ongoing lane and road closures from Superior Street to Second Street around its downtown campus.
- Upgrades to the Lake Avenue bridge, which will result in a series of rolling lane and ramp closures to the main link between downtown Duluth, Canal Park and Interstate 35.
- The beginning of the four-year Twin Ports Interchange reconstruction, which will overhaul of the 'can of worms' intersection of I-35 and U.S. Highway 53 in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, just west of downtown.
Jim Benning, the the city's director of Public Works and Utilities, said he is not yet sure when the First Street work would occur, or how long it would take, but it would be carried out by city crews and a local electrical company already under contract.
Robertson noted that the analysis has shown that the conversion can be completed with minor changes to road markings and signs, using existing curb lines.
"street" - Google News
February 21, 2020 at 09:00AM
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Duluth's First Street conversion could add to construction chaos - Duluth News Tribune
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