Morris Thomas Road Work Gets Underway

A pretty significant road project has begun along one of Duluth's arterial routes.  Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation are reporting that the Morris Thomas Road-Highway 2 intersection project was scheduled to start as of July 6.  The work will progress in two distinct phases, with the total project expected to wrap up at some point late this fall.

Details released ahead of the project show that road crews will be busy.  The project includes realigning the intersection of Morris Thomas Road with Highway 2, replacing the Keene Creek Bridge, replacing multiple culverts along the way, road resurfacing, and adding a left turn lane on Highway 2 for vehicles turning onto Morris Thomas Road.

The first phase of the work will see a road closure between Trunk Highway 2 and Ugstad Road.  That closure and the work related to it will eventually progress east towards Haines Road. The second phase - scheduled to start mid to late August - will occur on Highway 2; that part of the work will involve lane shifts to construct the new left turn lane.  It will also include a new county lighting system at the intersection.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is sharing that portions of Morris Thomas Road will be closed to "through traffic" throughout the course of the project work. A detour will be in place with clearly-marked signs to make things easy for drivers.  Highway 2 will remain open throughout the duration of the entire project.  However, MNDOT urges drivers to slow down while in the area and in the work zone, and use caution.

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As reported earlier, agencies anticipate the work being finished up at some point this fall.  To get more details about the Morris Thomas Road-Highway 2 project or any of the road construction work coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, visit their websites; you'll find a specific page devoted just to work within the St. Louis County geographic region; additionally, MNDOT offers up-to-the-minute updates on all the rest of the work throughout the state by clicking here.