Duluth's First Roundabout Will Replace Problem Intersection

A new roundabout is set to make its way to Duluth starting this summer. The roundabout will replace a four-way stop at the intersection of Snively and Jean Duluth roads out east.

According to the Duluth News Tribune, this new roundabout, which will be Duluth's first roundabout is part of $3.1 million in improvements aimed at the area of Woodland Avenue between West Arrowhead and Snively roads in the Hunters Park neighborhood.

Roundabouts can be found in Cloquet, Hermantown, Superior, and now Duluth. According to Business North, there are three other roundabouts planned for Minnesota. Swan River, Iron Junction, and Hermantown are all currently in the design phase.

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This particular intersection of Snively Road/Jean Duluth Road and Glenwood Street is currently an all-way stop controlled intersection. However it has been experiencing significant delay during the a.m. and p.m. peak periods for quite some time. Back in 2018, the city of Duluth and St. Louis County completed an intersection control evaluation to identify potential improvements to alleviate capacity and mobility issues.

During their evaluation, they came up with three alternatives:

Maintain the existing all-way stop control, where they wouldn't have to have a re-build scenario
A single-lane roundabout
Or installing traffic lights and making it a signalized intersection

The roundabout ended up providing the most efficient intersection operations during all periods of the day. The roundabout also provides lowering the chance of severe crashes, provides positive speed control and provides for safe pedestrian and cyclist crossings.

Work for this roundabout is expected to begin in early-to mid-June, with completion of the roundabout estimated for this September. This work is also part of 125 total projects in the county, including road and bridge reconstructions, roadway resurfacing projects, and safety improvements.

Detours for this roundabout will happen in two stages. Starting in June, access will close to Glenwood Street east of the intersection. A significant detour will shift traffic farther east along East Superior Street and London Road, before routing it up 43rd Avenue East.

The second phase will shut down the Snively-Jean Duluth-Glenwood intersection entirely for an additional two months, until the project is completed. This detour will have drivers using Martin Road and Woodland Avenue. Local residents on Snively Road will be provided access to their driveways through neighborhood streets such as Everett and St. Andrews streets.

Look for this new roundabout coming this Fall.