Transportation Posts

100 Years of Intercity Highway, or Highway 61 Revisited

Jun 13, 2024 1 Comment

Highway 1 monument at 66th Avenue West and Westgate Boulevard. (Photos by David James)

A monument a couple blocks north of I-35 in the front yard of a quiet residential neighborhood commemorates the upcoming opening of Minnesota Trunk Highway No. 1. It was erected on June 13, 1924, 100 years ago today. A recent post on this site featured a photo describing a campground along this Highway, which led to a brief discussion of just what this Highway 1 was and what became of it.

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History ,

Duluth Mail Bag: Safe Streets, Tabling

Apr 04, 2024 No Comments

Hobbs Mail BagAs a two-time former Duluth city councilor, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

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Politics , ,

Duluth Mail Bag: Lower Taxes, Viewsheds and Roundabouts

Nov 30, 2023 1 Comment

Hobbs Mail BagAs a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are many Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

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News and Current Affairs, Politics , , , ,

State fast-tracks funds for I-35 pedestrian bridge in Lincoln Park

Jul 29, 2023 1 Comment

A cyclist travels over I-35 on the Lincoln Park pedestrian bridge last week. The bridge has been targeted for replacement by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A longstanding I-35 pedestrian bridge that connects Lincoln Park to its working waterfront and serves two well-traveled trail systems through the city has been fast tracked for replacement by state officials.

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News and Current Affairs ,

West Duluth before the Interstate

Jul 28, 2023 5 Comments

1939 aerial photo from the UM

MnDOT’s John Bray wrote in The Will and the Way: “Approximately 700 homes were razed or moved in West Duluth” to make way for Interstate 35.

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History ,

Up the Incline from Superior Street in 1913

Jun 24, 2023 No Comments

This postcard of the Duluth Incline was mailed 110 years ago today — June 24, 1913.

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History , , ,

Advertisements from the Duluth Public Library Nostalgic Newsstand Sale: To the Orient on Canadian Pacific

May 21, 2023 3 Comments

One of the cooler things about the adverts from the Duluth Public Library Nostalgic Newsstand Sale are the ads for travel on the train. Before planes, before interstates, the train was ubiquitous for travel. I love this ad for “To the Orient on Canadian Pacific.”

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History

London Road roundabout plan riles residents

Mar 13, 2023 2 Comments

Minnesota Public Radio reports that the Minnesota Department of Transportation is moving forward with a plan to install a roundabout at 60th Avenue East and London Road despite objections from residents.


News and Current Affairs

Duluth reconsidering mandated parking minimums

Jan 19, 2023 5 Comments

The Duluth News Tribune reports that proposed changes to city code would eliminate requirements for developers to provide a specific number of parking spots.


News and Current Affairs ,

Roundabout wrong for London Road and 60th Avenue East

Dec 29, 2022 3 Comments

As part of its repaving and redesign of London Road, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning to put a 150-foot diameter roundabout at 60th Avenue East and London Road. The build will take two years, will destroy a two-household historic home, and will take parkland that was granted to the city on condition that it would always be parkland.

It will be accompanied, of course, by many streetlights, because roundabouts are only safe if they are very well lit.

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Random ,

Summer Trips to the Northwest through Duluth, 1911

Nov 20, 2022 No Comments

The Internet Archive hosts advertisements from transportation-themed magazines. This one features Duluth as the endpoint on a steamer trip to the Northwest, before joining the train to Seattle and points nearby in Canada and Oregon.


History

Steamships from Buffalo to Duluth, 1901

Nov 18, 2022 3 Comments

This advert from Life magazine promotes trips from Buffalo through Chicago and Milwaukee to Duluth. I found it on the Internet Archive.

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History , ,

1930s Footage of Duluth’s Streetcars and Incline Railway

Apr 11, 2022 1 Comment

The Minnesota Streetcar Museum presents this rare collection of Duluth streetcar footage from the 1930s — much of it in color — including scenes from West Duluth, Woodland and Downtown. The video was written, produced, narrated and directed by historian Aaron Isaacs, with production assistance from Bill Olexy.

Duluth’s streetcars were replaced by buses in 1939.

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History ,

I-35 tunnel at Leif Erikson Park completed 29 years ago today

Oct 28, 2021 3 Comments

The History Channel website mentions Duluth today in its “This Day in History” feature, pointing out that Duluth Mayor Gary Doty cut the ribbon opening the 1,480-foot–long Leif Erickson Tunnel on Interstate 35 on Oct. 28, 1992.

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History , ,

Duluth considers “trackless trolley” in 1921

Oct 06, 2021 No Comments

One century ago the Duluth Street Railway Company — predecessor to the Duluth Transit Authority — was keeping a close eye on plans for adding trolley buses in Minneapolis. How long did it take for Duluth to get it’s first “trackless trolley”? Pretty much exactly ten more years.

According to Zenith City Online, Duluth’s first trolley buses ran on Oct. 4, 1931. The Duluth Herald reported about Duluth considering trolley buses in its Oct. 6, 1921 issue, one hundred years ago today.

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History , ,