The city of Duluth has cleared snow from a section of the Willard Munger State Trail and restricted vehicles from several roads in Lincoln Park and Lester Park after receiving reports of "unsafe crowding" along the Lakewalk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hope is to give people more places to walk or bike while still maintaining social distancing, the city said.

“The level of crowding observed on the Lakewalk last weekend and most evenings this week makes it difficult for residents to maintain the 6-foot separation necessary to prevent transmission of COVID-19,” Duluth Parks and Recreation Manager Jessica Peterson said in a news release. “We have made additional trails available so that residents can recreate without endangering public health.”

A 1-mile section of the Munger Trail was plowed from Pulaski Street to Beaudry Street in Duluth's Norton Park and Riverside neighborhoods. The city said it will strive to try to plow other portions of the remaining 5 miles of the Munger Trail within the city.

The city also closed a mile-long section of Seven Bridges Road in Lester Park to traffic so it can be used by pedestrians and cyclists. When added to the ongoing seasonal closure of Skyline Parkway at Hawk Ridge, the closure creates 3.5 miles of park road open only to bikes and pedestrians, the city said.

Lastly, the city closed a half-mile section of Lincoln Park Drive that runs parallel to Miller Creek.

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