A massive freeway interchange reconstruction project in Duluth that’s rerouted and sometimes snarled traffic for more than five years is nearly complete.
The $435 million project that began in 2020 redesigned the interchange where three major thoroughfares come together: I-35, which connects Duluth to the Twin Cities and beyond; I-535, which crosses the Blatnik Bridge to Superior, Wisc.; and Highway 53 that travels north to the Iron Range and the Canadian border.
Locals not-so-affectionately referred to the interchange as the “Can of Worms.” The project was designed to improve safety by eliminating blind merges and left exits, as well as replace aging infrastructure.
“The ‘Can of Worms’ is officially no longer a thing, which is something to celebrate,” said Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert.
A key driver was also to ease the flow of freight over land into and out of the Clure Public Terminal at the Port of Duluth-Superior, where huge ships offload and pick up cargo from trains and trucks.
Trucks carrying oversize loads “couldn’t come through this old ‘Can of Worms’ interchange because of the geometry,” explained Pat Houston, major projects engineer for MnDOT. Instead they were forced to weave their way through local streets.
“Now they'll be able to get on right from the port on the freeway, and stay on the freeway,” Houston said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, along with other local, state and federal officials, celebrated a ribbon-cutting event to commemorate the completion of the project Monday afternoon in Duluth — even though the interchange won’t open to traffic until Oct. 24 while construction crews finish final details.
"These investments we make in infrastructure are generational investments,” said Walz, before walking up an exit ramp on to the concrete deck of Highway 53, where it merges with I-35 and I-535 above Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
“They matter not just now. They matter into the future, and we have a responsibility as our forebears who came before us were willing to invest in this construction."
The project was funded by the MnDOT along with federal funds funneled through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known informally as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden in 2021.
Construction was delayed for a period in 2023 when crews uncovered a human jawbone at the site. MnDOT consulted with leaders of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa before work resumed.
Duluth residents now have about a year until the next major road construction project begins: the replacement of the Blatnik Bridge, which spans the St. Louis River estuary and connects Duluth with Wisconsin.
Construction activity on the $1.8 billion project is scheduled to start next year. The bridge is expected to close in early 2027. The new span is expected to open in 2031.
