Duluth City Crews Begin Installation Of New Snow Emergency Route Signs

Last week sometime, I noticed the letters "SR" spray painted multiple times along a number of Duluth city streets. Initially I was baffled as to what that could be all about. Then, I saw crews on the roadside of one of the routes I regularly drive. It turns out the mysterious "SR" stands for "Snow Route", and these spray paint markings are preliminary markers where city crews are going to put snow emergency route signs.

The plan is for city officials to install about 2,300 signs along almost 130 miles of roadway in Duluth through the summer. The goal is to have all of the signs installed by August.

With the memory of that Thanksgiving weekend storm a couple years ago fresh in the minds of many, an increase in snow emergency routes will likely be a welcome measure for people on these roadways. This designation for a number of Duluth's roads also means that there are some new parking rules you'll need to follow when the snow flies (hopefully a long, long ways off from the date of this post).

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If you live along one of these routes that will be marked through the summer, you'll need to pay attention if a snow emergency is declared. If one is declared, you'll have a 5 hour window to move your vehicle so plows can clear the roadway overnight. Failing to move your vehicle could result in a ticket or being towed.

They city will communicate snow emergencies via local media as well as the city's website and social media.

The city also has this handy map that shows plowing priority for many of Duluth's city streets. Give it a look and get familiar with what priority your road has when the snow flies so you know the status of your roadway.