Ohio Department of Transportation is now using a tow plow for snow removal that takes up two lanes at once. It will run on I-76 from the Summit County line to the Mahoning County line, including Portage County.

Brent Kovacs, ODOT’s public information officer for district four, said the new piece of machinery maxes out at the speed of 35 miles per hour, so leaving enough stopping space is crucial.

“One of the big things we want to stress is to plan extra travel time,” Kovacs said. “Ice and snow, take it slow.”

Kovacs said the equipment will consist of a truck that pulls a trailer. The truck has a 12-foot plow, and the trailer has a 22-foot plow. He said the tow plow and the truck pulling it will have salt hoppers. Combined, the salt hoppers are able to hold 16 tons of salt.

Kovacs said the machine is able to take up two lanes of traffic or one lane of traffic and the berm. He said they will choose the option based on conditions.

Kovacs said the $100,000 machine will reduce costs because it does double the work with just one driver. It will also reduce fuel costs.

Contact Julie Myers at [email protected].