North Star Highways
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Duluth Highway Scenes
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Like St. Paul, Duluth
came into being as a transportation center, the place where modes shifted
between water and land. During the peak years of the city, the population
was over 100,000 and was the third largest city in the state.
With the decline of the Iron Range and the growth of tourism the fundamental
character of the town has shifted. The image of Duluth as a tough, dirty
harbor town has changed with the revitalization of the waterfront, and
the opening of several museums and the aquarium. The building of I-35 in
the early 90s has actually helped the city immensely, since it got through
traffic out of downtown, provided open space on top of several cut and
cover tunnels, and made it easier to access the waterfront.
*Click on any image to enlarge*
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Minnesota's
most famous and one of it's most distinctive bridges. The lift
bridge spans the ship channel to Duluth harbor, and connects
what used to be a long point with the rest of the city. This is
one of the only lift bridges to have an overhead span, designed because
this was originally a gondala bridge, one of only two built in world.
Originally constructed in 1905, the conversion to a vertical lift
bridge occurred in 1929. It is now on the national register of historic
places.
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Although not
an icon of the Twin Ports like it's neighbor the Aerial Lift Bridge,
the Blatnik Bridge has an impressive beauty of it's own. Originally known
as the Interstate Bridge, it replaced an old toll bridge at the location
in the 1950s. Recently it was renamed in honor of John Blatnik. Blatnik
(1911-1991), was a former U.S. congressman from region who was instrumental
in the passing of the 1964 Wilderness Act, creating the Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness and many other wilderness areas nationwide.
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I-535 is
basically just the Blatnkik Bridge and approach roads. Here is the southern
ending of I-535 in Superior.
In the second photo, we see an overview of the "Can of Worms" I-35,
US 53, and I-535 interchange, all elavated over railroad tracks. The Blatnkik
Bridge is in the distance, and Wisconsin can be seen across the harbor.
In the third photo, we're on I-535 north in the Can of Worms approaching
I-35
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This unusual
bridge was built in 1916, and is owned by the Duluth, Missabe and Iron
Range Railroad Company. The bottom carries MN 39 and WI 105 over the St.
Louis River, while the top carries the railroad. There are very sharp turns
at either end in order for the road to line up under the railroad. Originally
the highway deck was wood, but it was replaced by concrete in a 2001 renovation.
The river was named about 1755, a few years before the city in Missouri
was founded. Previously it was known as the Fond Du Lac River.
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This is
a rather significant junction because all traffic heading towards the Iron
Range, Ely, International Falls, and the entire north-central part of the
state exit here, while travels heading to Duluth, the North Shore, and the
northeast stay on I-35. This is also the first time "North Shore" is
mentioned on a sign as a control destination.
Cloquet rhymes with "croquet". The origination of the name has been
lost in time, but it's assumed it's the name of some French explorer. Cloquet
is home to a Frank Loyd Wright designed gas station.
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No, it
doesn't carry highway 420. Although people laugh at the name, it
was actually named for a person: Richard Bong, the leading US fighter ace
during World War II, who was from Superior. He was killed in 1945 while
test flying a Lockheed P-80 jet near Los Angelas.
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MN 1
ending
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