MDOT trying out Tow Plow near Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - A new Tow Plow will clear a stretch of Kalamazoo-area highway this week.

The Tow Plow, billed as capable of doing the work of two regular snow plows, will be in use along I-94 between 12th Street and Portage Road in Kalamazoo and Portage, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The Tow Plow, essentially a plow pulled by a standard plow truck, is 25 feet long and can clear up to two full lanes at a time. It sticks out from the right side of the truck, similar to a commonly-used wing plow but significantly larger.

Officials with MDOT's Southwest Region are testing the Tow Plow, which is meant to reduce labor, equipment and fuel costs.

MDOT already uses a Tow Plow to clear I-96 and US-23 in Livingston County near Brighton. Tow Plows are also in use in Missouri, Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin, Utah and Ohio, according to MDOT.

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Online:

Michigan Department of Transportation

MDOT on the Tow Plow