Specialized plow makes rock removal safer and easier

Many things have changed in recent weeks, but rock patrol remains a constant, and crews often come across debris in the road on their routine maintenance patrols in their pickups.

Debris on blind corners aren’t good for drivers, much less operators tasked with keeping highways safe. Rather than run back to sheds to grab their plows, they usually deal with the problem right away by carefully pushing off debris by hand without traffic control.

“Ross’s crews came to me to see if there was a way to make that process safer,” said Ryan Crabtree, fleet manager for District 1. Crabtree is pictured at left.

Crabtree worked with Rock King to purchase a $9,000 specialized plow to be mounted to a pickup.

“It’s heavier duty with a lower profile so it can be used in summertime without negatively affecting the driver’s visibility or the engine’s cooling,” Crabtree said.

The plow has been in use since late February.

“It’s much safer and saves time,” Farrell said.

Other rocky places in the district, such as Idaho Highway 200 west of Sandpoint, may soon take similar innovative measures for crews.

   

Published 04-03-20