St. Louis County snowplows run 24/7 after blizzard, prioritize Priority 1 routes

St. Louis County Public Works maintenance crews worked continuous shifts on Feb. 18 after a fast-moving blizzard dropped heavy, wind-driven snow across the Northland, putting roughly 98 county plows on the roads and concentrating on Priority 1 routes and major arterials first. Matthew Beyer, Public Works Maintenance Principal for St. Louis County, said all four county districts were working and that crews aimed at critical paved corridors before addressing gravel roads.

Beyer said the operational priority was clear: “We target the critical areas first, which are the blacktop main routes. 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.” County plow operators began shifts as early as 4 a.m. and as late as 7 p.m. during the response, with staffing spread across the four districts to cover the Northland network.

County leaders described the event as requiring an extended effort. Beyer projected the multi-day timeline and shift rotation, saying, “We came in early this morning. We’ll be out until later this evening. We’re going to bring your crew back in early tomorrow morning, countywide and tomorrow afternoon, I would say by four or five o’clock, we should have a pretty good handle on this event.” That schedule reflects the county expectation to work through both blacktop and higher-volume gravel corridors over successive shifts.

The storm combined strong winds, freezing rain, and heavy snow in what officials described as the Northland’s first blizzard of the season, producing wind-driven plumes and rapid accumulations that made Priority 1 clearance the immediate operational focus. Municipal public works crews from Duluth and other cities worked alongside county teams, with local maps showing which agencies are responsible for specific streets; a full Duluth roads map and agency responsibility listing is available on the City of Duluth website.

Community reaction tracked on social media showed support for crews: a Facebook post about the response recorded 29 reactions, one comment and three shares, and a Meadowlands resident, Kathy Morgan, wrote, “And they do an amazing job. I live in the Meadowlands area and they are awesome. Thank you for all you do.”

For residents checking state highway conditions or seeking broader regional context, MoDOT’s St. Louis region materials note a separate, unrelated response in Missouri that includes “more than 200 snow-removal trucks equipped with plows, wing plows, salt brine and rock salt spreaders to fight winter weather,” “more than 400 employees will work 12-hour shifts around the clock to get the roads safe and passable as quickly as possible,” and that “the St. Louis region maintains 6,400 lane miles of state-owned interstate highways, numbered and lettered routes.” MoDOT also reported it “currently has over 30,000 tons of salt on hand” and described a tow plow that “can cut a 30-foot swath or 2.5 lanes of pavement.” For state highway assistance call 888 - Ask MoDOT (275-6636). For FCC public-file accessibility regarding broadcast coverage, contact Vicki Kaping at (218) 727-6864.