By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
With snowbanks continuing to rise along city streets, the City of Otsego has begun using wing blades on its plow trucks in an effort to keep roads passable during a winter that shows little sign of letting up.
In a public notice shared by the city, officials explained that traditional plowing has become less effective as snowbanks have grown taller with each storm.
Wing blades, by comparison, are large, fold-out attachments mounted on the side of plow trucks that extend outward to push snow higher and farther off the roadway than a standard front plow.
“You will notice that the banks have been growing, and growing, and growing,” the city stated. “When plow trucks come through, they are pushing the snow off the roads only to hit the banks and fall back down onto the edges of the road, leaving the roads messy and not cleared.”
Wing blades—large attachments mounted on the side of plow trucks—allow crews to push snow up and over the top of existing snowbanks instead of letting it spill back onto the roadway. According to the city, the blades are being used specifically to place snow “on top of the current snowbanks along City streets.”
Otsego Director of Public Works Mike Bosch said the conditions this winter made it necessary to bring the blades back into service after years of sitting unused.
“I don’t think we’ve had to use these since 2017,” Bosch said in a recent interview. “It just keeps getting worse and worse.”
City officials noted that with consistently low temperatures, the snow has not had a chance to melt, making the wing blades a needed tool “for the foreseeable future.”
The city also acknowledged that the use of wing blades can result in more snow being pushed into driveways, something residents may notice as crews work through neighborhoods.
“Unfortunately, there is no end in sight,” the city said in its notice, while urging drivers to continue to use caution as plows operate.
Bosch said the decision to use wing blades is about keeping streets safe and functional, even when conditions are far from ideal.
“We don’t want to do that to people,” Bosch said, referring to snow pushed into driveways. “But we’re also trying to keep the road safe, and sometimes that’s just something we have to do.”
The City of Otsego said it will continue monitoring conditions and adjusting plowing operations as needed throughout the remainder of the winter.
Residents with questions can contact Otsego City Hall.
