Study Of Potential Changes To I-35 In Downtown Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — There has been some discussion about possible changes in how the interstate goes through downtown Duluth.

Now the University of Minnesota Duluth has added to the conversation. A study concludes that freeing up land for other uses could infuse between $500 million to over $4 billion to Duluth’s economy.

The potential economic effects have been studied by the Labovitz School of Business and Economics. The study looks at the I-35 one-mile stretch that separates the central business district from the waterfront.

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research also joined in the study. The goal was to look at what could happen if that area was opened up to alternate uses.

The study includes five case studies of other communities that have considered similar projects known as “rightsizing.”