CDOT to Display Snow Plows at Fall Harvest Car Show in Fort Morgan

MORGAN COUNTY — Tomorrow, Saturday, September 15, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will participate in the annual Fall Harvest Car Show in downtown Fort Morgan from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. CDOT will have two plows on display as part of the festivities, including a restored Coleman plow from 1939 as well as a technologically advanced tow plow that was the first of its kind in Colorado. Maintenance staff will be volunteering at the event to help answer questions about CDOT’s winter maintenance equipment and the department in general.

Each winter, CDOT is responsible for keeping Colorado’s 23,000+ highway lane miles cleared of snow and ice so motorists can safely travel throughout the state. In fact, each year CDOT plows about 6 million lane miles of highway and keeps more than 35 mountain passes open. Having the 1939 Coleman plow on display next to the cutting edge tow plow will help motorists understand how far the department has come in its snow removal techniques since the 1940s.

The historic 1939 Coleman plow was one of five plows used decades ago by CDOT to help clear snow and ice from Colorado’s mountain passes during the winter. After being auctioned off at the end of its usable life, CDOT was able to reacquire the plow and restore it to its original condition. CDOT’s tow plow is a trailer pulled by plow truck that swings out to the side and can plow snow and apply de-icer to two lanes of the highway at the same time. The plow is used on I-76 between Wiggins and Atwood and is the first of its kind to be used in the state. To view the tow plow in action, visit http://tinyurl.com/445tpcw.

CDOT uses a wide variety of products, tools, and equipment to keep roadways open and safe before, during, and after snow storms. With winter just around the corner, motorists can learn more about CDOT’s services by visiting www.coloradodot.info/travel/winter-driving.

To receive real-time updates about road conditions in your area, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Updates are also available via Twitter @coloradodot and be sure to “Like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot.