Miller Trunk Corridor

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Photo looking towards the Miller Hill Mall from the Burning Tree Plaza, around the center part of the corridor

The Highway 53 or Miller Trunk Corridor refers to a large agglomeration of retail development in Duluth and Hermantown, Minnesota, on and around U.S. Highway 53, and by extension, State Highway 194 (Central Entrance), and parts of the Arrowhead, Haines, and Maple Grove Roads. The Miller Hill Mall is the most visible of the corridor's anchors, although not the first. Although the area's roots are within the city of Duluth, specifically in the Duluth Heights neighborhood, many of the recent store openings have been inside the limits of Hermantown, a suburban community having experienced a great amount of growth in recent years.

Most chain stores and restaurants present in Duluth are found in the corridor, although numerous local businesses are present as well.

1 Criticisms
2 Big-Box Stores
3 Chain Restaurants
4 Local Restaurants
5 Fast Food Restaurants
6 Strip Malls
7 External links

[edit] Criticisms

Many Duluthians and area residents consider the corridor to be an example of poor and unplanned development. While not serious by the standards of larger cities, traffic congestion is considerably more pronounced than in other parts of the city, the development is often considered to have taken on an undesirable "suburban sprawl" character, and the design (or lack thereof) of the area is very car-oriented, making the area highly undesirable for foot navigation. Sidewalks are limited and inconvenient, and distances between buildings large, despite the tightly packed development of the core part. Pedestrians (outside of the indoor shopping mall) and cyclists are few in the corridor.