Starting today, Skyline Parkway at Enger Park Loop is hitting the pause button for construction work. The city's plan to transform this stretch into a one-way thoroughfare, motivated by a deep concern for pedestrian safety after two fatal accidents shook the community last year. According to a recent news release, while Skyline Parkway takes a temporary break, Hank Jensen Drive will be wide open for detour duty.
Travelers in Duluth have a week-long detour in their near future. The city's got its blueprint ready to pivot Skyline Parkway to a one-directional path, complete with a zone cordoned off for pedestrians and cyclists to tread without trepidation. This new face to a familiar road is part of Duluth's pledge to buff up the safety buffer following fatal incidents that have left a permanent mark on Twin Ponds near Fifth Street's complex crossing.
The grand scheme coming to life next week isn't set in stone. Dubbed a "demonstration project", it's designed to be a sneak peek into how one-way traffic will play out on Skyline Parkway — quickly installed, easy on the wallet, and ready to roll back if it misses the mark on making roads safer. Once construction winds down, everyone from Sunday drivers to daily commuters is invited to weigh in on the change.
The city's move is a direct reply to cries for safer streets around that troubling curve and the infamous 5th Street intersection. "This project will change this section of Skyline Parkway to a one-way section, with a delineated pedestrian area for use by pedestrians and bicyclists," as explained in the official announcement.
