Busy Duluth Intersections On London Road Get Temporary Pedestrian Enhancements

Northlanders know that London Road in Lakeside gets busy - especially during the summer months.  Crossing that street can be next to difficult for pedestrians.  That's why the Minnesota Department of Transportation is looking to correct the situation.

This summer, MNDOT is conducting a study of how pedestrian enhancements could help that traffic corridor.  To investigate the situation, they've installed two temporary pedestrian enhancement demonstrations to gather data.

A temporary pedestrian enhancement demonstration has been installed at the intersections of 36th Avenue East and 60th Avenue East along London Road in Lakeside. The temporary demonstrations will give the general public, drivers, pedestrians, and the state agency a working plan to start with.

The pedestrian enhancements along London Road include a center refuge island for pedestrians who are trying to cross the road.  There are also curb bump-outs to slow traffic down.  In addition, they've also installed more crossing signs to alert drivers.  Working in parallel, these improvements give pedestrians a shorter distance to cross the lanes of traffic along one of Duluth's busiest roadways.

Although the improvements are only temporary for now, they will show what permanent improvements could look like.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation is conducting a study along the entire London Road - Highway 61 corridor from 26th Avenue East to Lester River.  An eventual project is planned to make any improvements that end up working permanent.

For now, the pedestrian improvements at 36th Avenue East and 60th Avenue East will be in place until the end of October.  They need to be removed for the winter season.  If they end up being successful, MNDOT will install reinstall them each summer until permanent enhancements can be constructed with an upcoming 2025 project.