Duluth City Council evaluates the future of the skywalk system

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth City Council met on Monday and concluded that the city will conduct an evaluation into “the long-term future of the downtown skywalk system.”

In a 9-0 vote, councilors approved a resolution that will direct the city administration to work with the council in evaluating the best future for the downtown skywalk.

The skywalk, its businesses, and those who use it face multiple challenges, including safety concerns. The resolution aims to address concerns from a 2022 Downtown Duluth Task Force report by creating actionable goals for the council.

“The action item called out from this task force in 2022 was assessing the skywalk system,” said Duluth City Councilor Arik Forsman. “The findings from that group was as follows: our downtown is essentially two walking systems, the one outside and the one inside. We do not, with current and proposed work and building usage habits, have enough people and activity to vibrantly support both. Explore what can be done differently.”

Councilor Mike Mayou pointed to his own experience using the skywalk, and how it has become an essential part of downtown’s infrastructure.

“When I was a kid growing up, and using the skywalk system growing up here in Duluth, it was kind of that indoor recreation during really nasty winters we have here. All these different restaurants in the holiday center, and then you’re walking all the way downtown to the library, and you walk underground there. There’s so many different passages of our skywalk system that go underground, some of them that are quite amazing.” said Mayou.

At that meeting, Councilor Forsman also said Mayor Roger Reinert has set an “ambitious” timeline, which hopes to see actionable recommendations in 6 months.