Snow much fun: Arizona transportation officials open voting to name plows

PHOENIX – There’s snow business like naming the plows that will clear the high country wintertime roads for the Arizona Department of Transportation.

After narrowing the list to 15 finalists, the agency opened the Name-A-Snowplow contest Tuesday to the public.

The top three vote-getters will earn the prize – each winning name will be emblazoned on a cab door. Voting ends Nov. 1.

“We’re thrilled that so many Arizonans embraced the challenge to come up with great names for our snowplows,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said in a press release.

“Naming the snowplows humanizes the huge effort our drivers and their plows undertake each winter. We want to keep them and you safe.”

ADOT launched the contest in October. Employees swept through nearly 4,700 entries before they settled on the cool contenders, including Alice Scooper, Mt. Humpfreeze, Flake Forty-Eight and Snowguaro.

Overall, ADOT has 200 snowplows and over 500 operators trained to work on them.

“Parts of our state have already received dustings of snow, and it won’t be long before these vital vehicles are put to use, clearing highways and making travel safer for everyone,” Halikowski said.

Snow fell Sunday in Heber and near Lake Jacob, the National Weather Service in Flagstaff reported.

445 PM: Check out the snow along US 89A in far northern Coconino County! Snow showers will persist for a couple more hours in this region, including Jacob Lake. Icy spots may develop as temperatures drop. #azwx pic.twitter.com/ix6uraVaxx

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) October 23, 2022

940 PM Update: A narrow band of snow from Heber up Hwy 377 is moving slowly eastward. The ADOT cam at Heber shows accumulation on Hwy 260. Slow down and use caution. #azwx pic.twitter.com/2B0N5W3R7j

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) October 24, 2022

And snow it goes.

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