Phase 1 of Safer 6th Ave. East Reconstruction Project Now Underway

DULUTH, Minn. — One of Duluth most dangerous Avenues is starting phase one of a safer reconstruction plan.

Construction crew started resurfacing along 6th Avenue East, which connects Central Hillside to Central Entrance and Mesaba Avenue. The project looks to address safety concerns for pedestrians, like students at Myers-Wilkins, as a recent study on 6th Ave. found close to 12,000 vehicles commute on the road each day.

Phase 1 of the project will add medians north of 5th Street to 9th Street, make crosswalks more visible, add shoulders, replace portions of the rocky sidewalk, and replacing lead pipes.

The Zeitgiest has recently held community informational panels to discuss the future of 6th Ave. East, and like many community members they’re excited to see safety concerns addressed.

“This project is a long, long time coming. For decades, community members have been telling us 6th Ave. East has a really negative impact on their quality of life,” said Tony Cuneo, the executive director of the Zeitgiest. “It’s hard to get kids to school, it’s hard to get to work, it’s hard to catch the bus when the ice and snow is plowed up onto the sidewalks. So we’re really excited that this first phase of sort of reformatting Sixth Avenue East is underway. We think it’s going to have really positive impact on the neighborhood.”

Phase 2 of the reconstruction, including new utilities, are planned to take place in the next 10 years.

The resurfacing along 6th Ave. East is expecting to be completed by this October.

To see more details of the 6th Ave. East Reconstruction Project on the Zeitgeist’s website.