New Duluth I-35 Lane Closure To Detour Motorists Into Wisconsin

As motorists in the Northland are well aware, driving near the ongoing Twin Ports Interchange Project in Duluth often requires a lot of patience.

The $435 million project requires crews to work year-round to reconstruct the I-35/I-535/Hwy 53 interchange, and while the Minnesota Department tries to avoid doing major work during busy drive times, it's unavoidable at times.

To its credit, MnDOT does provide consistent updates on what motorists can expect to encounter in the area each week, just as it has for this week when there will be more lane closures, including a major detour that will take motorists into Superior, Wisconsin.

On a positive note, that detour will only be in place at night.

Northbound I-35 Nightly Closures All Week At Twin Ports Interchange

According to MnDOT, northbound I-35 through the Twin Ports Interchange will be fully closed each night beginning Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28.

The nightly closures will occur from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to allow crews to finish painting overhead bridges that are currently over live traffic.

There will be a detour in place with signs guiding motorists to follow the Highway 2 Bong Bridge into Superior and the I-535/ Blatnik Bridge back to Duluth.

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Southbound I-35 Will Be Reduced To One Lane At Twin Ports Interchange

Those traveling southbound on I-35 near the Twin Ports Interchange will encounter slowed travel on Monday, June 24 as traffic will be reduced to one lane until about 3:30 p.m.

The Twin Ports Interchange Project looks to improve safety by:

• Providing a new conventional design
• Relocating all exits and entrances to the right side of the roadway
• Improving merging sight distance and eliminating merge conflicts
• Eliminating weaving problems near the interchange
• Providing lane continuity for through I-35 traffic

Construction is expected to be completed around the summer of 2026 when landscaping and clean-up are expected to begin.

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The video below shows what the freeway will look like when completed from a motorist’s view heading north on I-35 through the Twin Ports Interchange area, then heading to southbound I-35 from I-535, or the Blatnik Bridge, through the Twin Ports Interchange area.