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Two Harbors asks MnDOT to route detours for business access during Highway 61 improvements
Summary
Councilors authorized city staff to make a formal request to MnDOT to seek detour routing that preserves business access and exposure during the Highway 61 2027–2028 improvement project, following prior meetings with MnDOT and local legislators about minimizing impacts to downtown businesses.
On July 28 the Two Harbors City Council authorized city staff to submit a formal request to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) asking MnDOT to consider detour routing that preserves business access and exposure during the forthcoming Highway 61 improvement project.
City Administrator Patricia D. Nordean told the council she had met with local legislators (Hauschild and Zeleznikar), MnDOT, Lake County and Chamber of Commerce leadership to discuss detour options and minimize negative impacts on local businesses for the 2027–2028 Highway 61 project. The council then adopted a motion, moved by Erickson and Conner, to authorize a formal request to MnDOT; the motion carried.
Administratively, Nordean also reported attending a MnDOT meeting on the Highway 61 60% plan utility design and later a separate meeting addressing next steps; council members did not record dissent but authorized staff to pursue the request. The minutes do not include MnDOT responses or commitments, a timeline for MnDOT action, or details on specific detour routing proposals.
What’s next: the administration and Public Works will prepare and submit the formal request to MnDOT and report back to council on MnDOT’s response and any routing proposals. Until MnDOT responds, council action is an authorization to request coordination, not an agreement by MnDOT to alter traffic routing.
