Engineering

Welcome to the City of Duluth’s Engineering Division!

The Engineering Division (Engineering) is part of the Public Works and Utilities Department in the City of Duluth. Engineering is responsible for overseeing design and construction of public projects located in and affecting the public right-of-way, including surface transportation, bridges, driveway and alley access, traffic signals, parking, and utility infrastructure.

Engineering establishes and ensures that design standards and construction specifications are observed. Engineering has a  responsibility to the public at large to create and maintain a consistent and reliable utility and transportation system. This system is planned, designed, and constructed according to the latest design standards and Engineering ensures the infrastructure is constructed to the highest and most current standards.

Additionally, Engineering issues a variety of permits that affect the public infrastructure such as excavation in city right-of-way, driveway aprons, street and sidewalk obstruction, over-sized loads, new culverts, and sewer, water and gas main extensions and connections. Permits related to work performed on private property are administered by the Construction Services Division.

The City of Duluth Public Works & Utilities Department- Engineering Division, is comprised of three sections: city engineering, transportation engineering, and utility engineering. Each section is managed by a chief engineer with a staff of project engineers, engineering specialists, engineering technicians, GIS technicians, information technicians, and/or operational personnel.

City Engineer

The City Engineer plans, develops, and manages the engineering division in the design, construction, inspection, and repair of municipal public assets.  Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: developing the division budget, managing the engineering fleet, acting as liaison with state agencies to allocate state and federal funds, ensuring compliance, supervising office functions, assisting with new software systems, supervising permitting procedures, providing leadership for large projects, responding to petitions and discussing improvements, providing information to city administration, directing the construction bidding process, reviewing project workmanship and directing final acceptance/payment, assisting with problem solving, representing the division at meetings, assisting with policy & procedures, and managing personnel administration.  

Transportation

The transportation section is responsible for large-scale roadway projects in Duluth.  This section oversees the inspection, construction, and replacement of streets, alleys, bridges, sidewalks, and traffic signals, as well as addresses traffic concerns.  It is the responsibility of the Chief Engineer of Transportation to plan, develop, and manage the transportation engineering division related to city-governed transportation and infrastructure. 

Utilities

The utilities section is responsible for all major gas, water, sanitary sewer, and storm water projects.  Utilities also manages the design, inspection, installation, and replacement of the utility infrastructure to comply with state and federal regulations.  This section also reviews new utility petitions for main extensions, provides location of underground utility mains, and inspects, replaces, and constructs all sewer, water and gas mains.  It is the responsibility of the Chief Engineer of Utilities to plan, develop, and manage the Utility Engineering division for city-owned utilities.

Staff Directory

• Engineering : Home
• Standard Construction Specifications
• Engineering Guidelines
• Capital Improvement Budget and Five Year Plan
• Contractor Resources
• Resident Resources
• Permits
• Maps
• Special Assessment Information
• Superior Street Reconstruction