RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - The state Transportation Department says snow plowing in the Black Hills this winter season is getting more efficient.
Jason Humphrey, the state construction and maintenance engineer, says the department has added three tow-plows to its fleet of snow clearing equipment. He says one each is going to the Rapid City, Custer and Yankton areas.
Humphrey says tow-plows are trailers pulled behind snowplows, allowing a wider lane or two lanes to be cleared of snow in one pass. He says tow-plows are estimated to save the department $1.65 per mile.
The additional tow-plows were included in the department’s winter maintenance plan that the state Transportation Commission approved Thursday.
Humphrey says the department has more than 460 plow trucks statewide. In most areas, they operate from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. clearing snow.
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