Duluth scrambles to fix flood-ravaged streets

It's been four months since flooding devastated the streets of Duluth, and now winter is closing in fast. Street crews are racing to get as much work done as they can before snow and ice burrow into holes and makes them even bigger, forcing repair costs higher, WDIO reports.

Author:: BMTN Staff
Updated:: Mar 8, 2018
Original:: Oct 17, 2012

It's been four months since flooding devastated the streets of Duluth, and now winter is closing in fast. Street crews are racing to get as much work done as they can before snow and ice burrow into holes and makes them even bigger, forcing costs higher, WDIO reports.

Complicating the situation, the city has for years collected some of its street-repair money from the Fond-Du-Luth Casino, but that revenue has been harder for the city to collect, the Duluth News Tribune reports. Now Duluth is mulling options that include higher taxes, steeper street assessments, cuts in city services or a less-ambitious effort to fix streets, the newspaper reports.

Meanwhile, the News Tribune reports that a city marketing campaign paid off after the flood in an effort to lure tourists back after the flooding.

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Northeast Minnesota is still assessing the damage done by historic flooding this week. Ultimately, who will pay to rebuild public infrastructure? It'll likely be a mix of federal and state money. WCCO's Jason DeRusha tackles the issue in his "Good Question" feature.

More than a month after the flood, property owners are still mopping up the damage in Fond Du Lac, one of Duluth's hardest-hit neighborhoods. Now some residents are drowning in paperwork as they struggle to pay fees and meet city codes. The city, too, is scrambling to keep up with building permits.

Tourism officials in Duluth said despite the record breaking flooding that devastated parts of the city, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses in the city are open for business. Some officials in the city and surrounding areas are worried about how the damage will affect the region's $800 million tourism industry.

Duluth officials said Friday that about $20 million in damages to parks was caused by the flooding in northeastern Minnesota in June. Damage was caused to roughly two-thirds of the Duluth's 30 parks, and all 14 of the city's trails were damaged. Officials said while repair work is under way at each park, residents can continue to use them with caution.

Everybody's pitching in to get flood-damaged Duluth back on its feet, including the city's younger residents. KAAL-TV reports that some local kids have set up a stand to sell lemonade and Rice Krispie treats at 50 cents a piece, and so far they've raised $50. The Lake Superior Zoo lost several animals in the recent flooding.

Hundreds of residents in the low-lying Fond du Lac area of Duluth still cannot return after massive flooding in northeastern Minnesota this week. Damage estimates are climbing and more rain is expected. Meanwhile, congressional lawmakers pledge federal support. And kids in Duluth opened a lemonade stand to raise money for the Lake Superior Zoo, which was hit hard by the floodwaters.

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U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar toured flood-damaged areas of Duluth and other parts of northeastern Minnesota Friday, and after declaring the damage massive assured federal aid would be coming to the area. The federal government contributes more than 75 percent to uninsured public infrastructure when natural disasters cause more than $8 million damage.