Summer is construction season, with new projects seemingly beginning each week. This week, Phase 2 of Second Street closures are scheduled to begin near Essentia Health.

This is part of a three-phase project that began on April 28 and is expected to last a total of six months. Phase 2 will begin Wednesday, July 21 and that means Second Street will reopen from Fourth Avenue East to the intersection with Fifth Avenue East, which will be closed.

Essentia Health says traffic will be two-way within this block to accommodate patient drop-off and pick-up via a temporary driveway to Essentia Health-Duluth and their Duluth Clinic Second Street Building. The driveway between Fourth and Fifth Avenues East will lead to a new circle drive. This block of two-way traffic will be only for Essentia Health patient and staff drop-off and pick-up.

Another change will be the reopening of the entry to and exit from Essentia Health’s Green Ramp via Second Street, however Fifth Avenue East will be closed just past the parking area/Green Ramp exit area.

To help patients navigate the area efficiently, Essentia is launching a shuttle service. Beginning July 21, they will have two shuttles available to bring patients and visitors to and from locations around their campus that are impacted by construction.

The shuttle service will be provided free of charge and it will be on a fixed route, making three stops.

Patients can load or unload at any of the three locations. The shuttle will pick up and drop off patients at the Essentia Health-Miller Dwan Building, at our Third Street Clinic located at 400 E. Third St and near the Red Ramp at Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue East.

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The shuttle service will initially operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Essentia is planning on expanding those hours to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the near future.

To board the shuttle, patients should park in the Red Ramp, the Green Ramp or utilize city parking areas and then go to a pick-up location. The shuttles will be running in a continuous loop, with the time between each drop-off and pick-up location estimated to be no more than 10 minutes.

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