DULUTH – The lakeshore near the Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center will get protective upgrades this summer — though it will disrupt pedestrian traffic along a tourist-heavy stretch of the city's Lakewalk in Canal Park.

The $3.5 million project involves construction of a concrete T-wall, named for its resemblance to the upside-down letter, and will be bolstered by stones to protect the area from weather and wave damage, the corps said in a news release. It will improve 200 feet of pedestrian walkway that connects the Lakewalk to the canal's North Pier.

Work starts this month and is expected to last into November, confined to weekdays, with final landscaping and grading to be added in spring 2026. The project is funded through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will be completed by Northern Interstate Construction, a South Range, Wis., company.

Monica Anderson, the corps' Duluth area project engineer, said in a news release that the construction will be a temporary inconvenience but important for the resilience of federal structures in Canal Park. It is also expected to improve access for the millions of visitors who visit the area yearly.

The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, a free museum that draws 500,000 people a year, will remain open during construction but the grounds around it will be closed. The North Pier will also be accessible.