Duluth Shifts Superior Street Snow Removal to Feb. 27, Disrupting Downtown Businesses

Duluth moved its planned Superior Street snow-removal work to Friday, Feb. 27, leaving downtown merchants and drivers facing no-parking restrictions, heavy equipment and Duluth Police traffic control that limited access during business hours. The City of Duluth listed Thursday, Feb. 26 and Friday, Feb. 27 as the window for the operation but media and city posts said Thursday’s start was disrupted by fresh snow and crews were redirected to plowing.

Weekend snowfall topped out at about eight inches in parts of the area, WDIO reported, prompting the city to call the effort a post-blizzard cleanup and street-reopening plan. The City of Duluth said, in its public notice, “City of Duluth street maintenance crews will be removing snow from the right-of-way in the downtown business district on Thursday, February 26 and Friday, February 27, 2026.” The release added that operations would “generally occur from 7:00 AM until 3:30 PM on the noted days, and parking will not be allowed in those areas during those times.”

Crews attempted to begin work around 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, Downtown Duluth reported and WDIO repeated, with WDIO noting crews were working to clear from 6th Avenue West to 5th Avenue West that morning. WDIO reported that a sudden additional snowfall forced crews to return to plowing duties and that “the operation has been moved to the following day, Friday, to continue the snow removal,” according to officials.

City and news accounts identify the larger planned start zone as the stretch of Superior Street between 6th Avenue West and Lake Avenue, with crews expected to continue east of Lake Avenue as conditions allow. Mix108 reported that crews aimed to clear at least the 6th Avenue West to Lake Avenue section on the first day of work and then proceed eastward, while Canal Park removal remained undetermined; Downtown Duluth and the City said plans for Canal Park “will be shared when available.” Mix108’s coverage included an explicit, labeled guess that Canal Park work might start the first week of March, but that date was not official.

Residents and visitors were warned in advance: Mix108 and social posts said “no parking” signs were planted beginning Wednesday morning. The City warned that “No parking signs will be posted in the area ahead of the snow removal. Any vehicle parked in the area where snow removal is taking place will be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.” WDIO quoted the practical reason for the signage: “No Parking signs are up along Superior Street because the snow train will operate during the day.”

The City framed the work as a public-safety measure, noting “Snow is being removed in the affected areas to improve sightlines and public safety,” and instructing that “Pedestrians are asked to keep their distance from the operations to ensure safety of both the public and workers.” Duluth Police Department personnel were reported to be assisting with traffic control during the operation as heavy snow-removal equipment moved through the downtown business district.

The City’s release also stressed contingency planning: “Should there be a snow event during the week, the snow removal operations will be rescheduled at a later date.” Officials and Downtown Duluth said crews were scheduled to continue and complete the Superior Street work on Friday, Feb. 27, after the Thursday redeployment, and the city promised to post final details, including Canal Park timing, when they become available.