Plans are in the works tonight to revamp a major Duluth thoroughfare as the city's Comprehensive Land Use Plan moves forward.

A memo drafted by the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council says Woodland Avenue needs to be more accommodating towards pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The council said in the memo that Woodland Avenue 'doesn't fit well with the principles outlined in the Duluth Comprehensive Plan.'
City officials agree upgrades should be done.

"We definitely want to see Woodland be more pedestrian friendly and also look at other transportation modes," said Cindy Petkac, City of Duluth land use supervisor.

A study by the Metropolitan Interstate Council revealed nearly 16,000 vehicles travel along Woodland Avenue a day.
The project calls for the complete reconstruction of Woodland from Kent Road to Arrowhead Road.
Plans include expanding the roadway by four feet.

"One of the things that city engineers have done in redesigning it is widening the sidewalks," said Petkac. "The key piece is pedestrian safety when people are crossing Woodland Avenue."

Officials are also considering transforming property currently occupied by the Woodland Middle School

"In the Red Plan, that school would close, so if that was to become something else, we may want to look at extending our urban-residential, further down Woodland," said Petkac.

Plans also call for replacing water and sewer lines along Woodland Avenue.

Officials say the project is still in the design phases.
Construction could start next year.