Spring road restrictions have been announced for the North-Central and North frost zones of  Minnesota. Restrictions will go into effect on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 12:01 a.m. These two zones include all highways in St. Louis County.

With all of St. Louis County under a flood watch due to melting snow and forecast rain, the Public Works Department is working to minimize the impact of flooded roads. At particularly high risk are areas near culverts that are filled with ice and snow. Water is unable to flow through the blocked culvert and instead fills the nearby ditch and spills over onto the road.

With more snow in the forecast, Public Works is urging residents to shovel out their mailboxes to minimize the risk of damage from snow plows.

"With as much snow as we've seen already this winter, everybody's in the same boat - trying to figure out where to put the snow. We get that," said Gordy Halverson, highway division superintendent for St. Louis County Public Works. "Our crews are doing the best they can to plow 3,000 miles of roads to keep them safe and driveable. Homeowners need to remember that they are responsible for shoveling around their mailbox."

When mailboxes get damaged, it's typically not by the snow plow, but by the windrow - the high volume of snow coming off the side of the plow blade. Clearing the snow away from a mailbox provides more space for that snow to go, lessening the likelihood of damage.

Property owners are also reminded that when clearing snow from driveways, it is illegal to push or dump snow into the roadway because of the hazard it creates for motorists. The windrows left behind - even if just a couple inches - are enough to cause a car to lose control or possibly cause an accident.

The traffic lights on Maple Grove Road at the intersections of Loberg Avenue, Haines Road, Burning Tree Road and Mall Drive will be getting an upgrade during the week of Sept. 24-28. The left turn signals will be converted to include flashing yellow arrows. The result will be better consistency in the signals used along the corridor as well as safer left turn movements.