Streets & Traffic

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The mission of the St. Louis Park Streets and Traffic Division is to provide a transportation system in the city that is safe and functional for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Streets division

This division is responsible for all maintenance associated with 377 lane miles of streets, 116 miles of sidewalks, 21 miles of alleys and 10 municipal parking lots. Maintenance includes, but is not limited to, snow removal, ice control, pothole repair, patching and street sweeping. The division also maintains other city assets, such as retaining walls, guard rails, city-owned bus shelters and bollards. Any replacement or new construction of city assets is handled by the engineering department.

Reporting a problem

If you need to report a problem regarding city streets, such as potholes, visit mystlouispark.org.

Traffic division

This division is responsible for all maintenance associated with 1600 streetlights, 7576 street signs and 29 traffic signal systems. The division also manages all pavement markings such as crosswalks and striping. Traffic control requests are handled mainly by the engineering department.

Contact

Public works
952.924.2562

FAQs

Does the city salt slippery sidewalks or trails?

Sidewalks and trails are not treated with chemicals or sand, and are limited to snow removal only. Sidewalks and trails are also extremely difficult to maintain and keep ice-free. As the snow melts, it often gets trapped between the snow banks on either side of the sidewalk or trail where it pools and refreezes.
How does salt work in removing ice and snow from roads?

Salt is applied to roadways to lower the freezing point of water. This in turn helps dissolve the snow or ice into a brine solution — a combination of water and salt — and prevents falling snow or rain from freezing. For the salt to work, a heat sources is also needed. The heat source can be air temperature above 15 degrees Fahrenheit, radiant heat from the sun or even friction from tires (traffic).

When the temperature drops below 15 degrees, the effectiveness of salt decreases and it must be treated with calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to help lower the freezing point. At temperatures below zero degrees, bulk products will no longer control snow or ice effectively. The city will then begin to use a sand/salt mixture to providing traction at stop signs, hills and other known hazard locations.
What factors contribute to the effectiveness of salt in removing ice and snow?

The effectiveness of salt in removing ice and snow from roads depends on several factors, including the moisture content of the snow, chemical concentration, pavement temperature, weather conditions, pavement type, traffic volume and width of application.
What is the difference between community and neighborhood sidewalks?

Community sidewalks are located on streets that are directly adjacent to community or area destinations, such as the library, schools, retail areas, parks, regional trails, transit nodes and places of worship. Most of these sidewalks are located along roadways that have high traffic volumes.

Neighborhood sidewalks are all other sidewalks in the city. They provide accessibility for pedestrians within the immediate area and feed into the community sidewalk system. These sidewalks are generally located on lower volume roads.

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St. Louis Park, MN

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Streets & Traffic

Streets division

Reporting a problem

Traffic division

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