Planning & Development

6th Avenue East – Projects

6^th Avenue East Extension Project - 1st St to 2nd St

Construction underway - completion July 2025

The City is extending 6^th Ave East from 2^nd Street to 1^st Street, with a new 2-lane road. This project is funded as part of the State funded Vision Northland Project.

6^th Ave East Resurfacing & Safety Improvement Project - 2nd St to Central Entrance

Construction underway - completion October 2025 

6th Ave East layout (street reconfiguration)

Project Details

• Project limits:
  • 6th Ave East - 2nd Street to 9th Street
  • Central Entrance - 9th Street to Mesaba Ave
• Pavement resurfacing from 2^nd Street to Mesaba Ave/Rice Lake Rd.
• Lead water line replacement.
• Restriping – 3^rd Street to 9^th Street 4-lane to 3-lane reconfiguration.
• Addition of a raised center median island from 6^th St to 9^th St.
• Traffic Signal Improvements

Public Engagement

• August 1, 2023 - Neighborhood Engagement Event - Hillside Neighborhood Night Out
• October 12, 2023 - Public Meeting - Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
  • Meeting Presentation
• August 6, 2024 - Neighborhood Engagement Event - Hillside Neighborhood Night Out
• January 30, 2025 - Public Meeting - Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
  • Meeting Presentation
• Public Input Survey: 6th Ave E Survey Findings

Background Information

• 6^th Avenue East carries approximately 12,000 vehicles per day between 4^th Street and 9^th Street, the area with the most focus on the 4-to-3 lane conversion.
• 4-to-3 lane conversion can be considered on roadways with traffic volumes:
  • Federal Highway (FHWA) = up to 25,000 vehicles per day.
  • Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) = up to 18,300 vehicles per day.
  • General practice = up to 15,000 vehicles per day, does not need to be studied.

The City and the MIC has studied this corridor and project design for over a decade. An initial traffic study was completed in 2014 and a traffic impact study on the surrounding street network was completed in 2016. The City hired a traffic engineering consultant to verify the conclusions of those reports and review the proposed designs prior to the reconfiguration in 2025.  

https://dsmic.org/study/6th-avenue-east-traffic-impact-study-2016/

6^th Avenue East daily traffic volume: source: TFA Traffic Mapping Application - TDA - MnDOT

6th Avenue East - AADT

Road Diets Overview - 4 to 3 lane conversions

From the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM):

• A 2-lane road with left turn lanes, commonly called a “3-lane” road can effectively carry traffic volumes to 18,300 vehicles per day. Federal Highway notes that 3-lane roads can work with up to 25,000 vehicles per day. Peak travel volumes must be considered as part of this, with additional turn lanes and traffic signal timing adjustments to ensure traffic will flow. In addition, the City of Duluth is took into account the operational needs of the DTA’s transit lines on 6^th Ave East.
• Planning level daily capacity of a road: (Round numbers based on Level of Service D/E thresholds in HCM 6th Edition). 
  • 2 lane local street: 1,000 vehicles per day based on livability
  • 2 lane (w/ left turn lanes): 18,300 vehicles per day
  • 4 lane (w/ left turn lanes): 36,800 vehicles per day
  • 6 lane (w/ left turn lanes): 55,300 vehicles per day

Proven Safety Countermeasure: https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures

Within the list of safety measures, road reconfigurations (also known as road diets or 4 to 3 lane conversions):

• “A Road Diet can be a low-cost safety solution when planned in conjunction with a simple pavement overlay, and the reconfiguration can be accomplished at no additional cost. Typically, a Road Diet is implemented on a roadway with a current and future average daily traffic of 25,000 or less.”