TH 53 Anchor Lake
Rest Area & Roadway Improvements
TH 53 serves as the key regional corridor connecting local communities and serves as a vital economic link for businesses, industry, and tourism to Minnesota’s Iron Range, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Voyageurs National Park.
One of the project’s goals was to improve ride quality and safety along 12.6-miles of the 4-lane divided highway section of TH 53 between Cotton and Eveleth, MN. The project included a bituminous mill and overlay treatment of the driving lanes, shoulder reconstruction, new guardrail and construction new turn lanes and key intersections along the corridor. The project also included rehabilitating the southbound TH 53 bridge over the St. Louis River, as well as replacing a weigh-in-motion and Road Weather Information System.
Another project goal was to rehabilitate the Anchor Lake Rest Area infrastructure by repairing the auto and truck parking areas, reconstructing the rest area ramps, installing a new lighting system, and adding various pedestrian and accessibility improvements.