The Washington State Department of Transportation equipment family just got a little bit bigger. Now they’re looking for help naming the newest member.
WSDOT purchased a fourth tow plow in January for $150,000, according to spokesperson Ryan Overton. It joins the tow plow fleet: Plowie McPlow Plow, The Big Leplowski and Sir Plows-A-Lot.
A tow plow is a trailer that attaches to the back of a snowplow truck. A driver uses a hydraulic wheel system to slide the tow plow out to the right side of the truck at a 60 degree angle to drop a 26-foot blade onto the road to clear snow and ice.
The tow plow allows a truck to clear two lanes at the same time, and it has a tank that dispenses de-icing material onto the road.
“It’s a real game changer for us as far as efficiency goes,” Overton said.
Overton already has received 200 name suggestions and says he is personally a fan of names referencing Star Wars. The last time WSDOT held a similar contest last year, popular entries included “Obi Plow Kenobi,” “R2 Plow 2,” “Plow-a-suraus Rex” and “Mr. Plow,” from The Simpsons, he said.
The tow plows are based in four different locations to maximize efficiency. Sir Plows-A-Lot stays in north Spokane and covers Highway 2, Highway 395 and the North Spokane Corridor. Plowie McPlow Plow is based in west Spokane and covers west Interstate 90 to the Fishtrap interchange. The Big Leplowski is in Spokane Valley, covering Interstate 90 in Spokane Valley to the Idaho state line.
The newest tow plow will live at Ritzville and service I-90 and Highway 395.
Name ideas will be accepted until Friday and can be summitted either directly to Overton by emailing Ryan.Overton@wsdot.wa.gov, or through social media. A group of WSDOT employees will filter through the names (combing out the inevitable inappropriate suggestions) and pick the top 16 candidates.
The names will be entered into a March Madness-style voting contest on the WSDOT Facebook page and WSDOT East Twitter account. The final four names will be entered into another poll, and the winner will be announced April 1.
