St. Louis County Tackles Blizzard with Full Plow Deployment

St. Louis County, Minnesota, is responding to a significant blizzard with a full deployment of its snowplow fleet, prioritizing the clearing of critical roadways. The effort involves nearly 100 plows working continuous shifts to manage heavy snowfall and challenging conditions across the region.

Blizzard Response and Road Clearing Priorities

As a powerful winter storm brought strong winds, freezing rain, and heavy snow to the Northland, St. Louis County Public Works maintenance crews initiated a multi-day response plan. According to Matthew Beyer, Public Works Maintenance Principal for St. Louis County, all four districts are actively engaged in clearing roads.

“We target the critical areas first, which are the blacktop main routes,” Beyer stated. “We’ve made our way through most of the blacktop main routes as of right now. We’re starting to target some of the gravel roads, some of the higher volume gravel roads.”

Around-the-Clock Operations

Crews began working as early as 4 a.m. And continued until 7 p.m. On February 18th, with plans for continuous shifts to ensure roads are cleared efficiently. The county anticipates having a “pretty good handle” on the event by late afternoon on February 19th.

Technology and Road Condition Monitoring

St. Louis County Public Works has also been recognized for its innovative approach to road condition monitoring. The department recently received the “National Build a Better Mousetrap – SMART Transformation Award” for developing a low-cost system utilizing solar-powered Barn Owl cameras to provide real-time images of road conditions. This allows supervisors to produce informed decisions about resource allocation and improve the efficiency of snow removal operations.

A map of Duluth roads and the agencies responsible for plowing is available on the city’s website.