HARRISBURG - State transportation Secretary Barry J. Schoch and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's Chief Operating Officer Craig R. Shuey unveiled Pennsylvania's latest weapon in the battle against winter weather: a 30-foot-long, tow-behind snowplow.
PennDOT and the commission will use the new tow plows on major roadways this winter. Because of their size, tow plows are only used on limited-access roadways such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, interstates or other multi-lane roads.
"Used on multi-lane highways, a tow plow allows one truck to do the work of two," Schoch said. "By freeing up a truck and operator, we'll be better able to focus on lower-priority roads that normally would not receive as high a level of service until major routes are cleared."
PennDOT tested a tow plow two years ago on Interstate 99 in Centre County and last year added tow plows in Allegheny, Berks and Lackawanna counties. This winter, PennDOT expects to have tow plows operating in Montgomery, Perry, Cambria and Schuylkill counties. PennDOT plans to have at least one tow plow operating in each of its 11 engineering districts next winter. The Pennsylvania Turnpike expects to have four tow plows in service this season.
"We've been working closely with PennDOT on expanding this technology to the turnpike," Shuey said. "We strive to provide exceptional winter service on the turnpike and the tow plow will be a welcome asset that enhances our operations."
Work of two trucks
A tow plow increases the plowing width from 16 feet to 24 feet, allowing for two, 12-foot-wide lanes to be cleared at once.
As the name implies, tow plows are towed behind a conventional plow truck equipped with a front plow. When plowing snow, the tow plow truck is driven on the left lane and when the operator deploys the tow plow it "steers" out into the right lane, allowing the truck to clear both lanes simultaneously.
The tow plow costs between $99,000 and $106,000 based on equipment. A typical, tandem-axle PennDOT truck costs nearly $175,000.