Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
For the full story and video, see the original ABC-10 story by Andy Kulie.
A new road maintenance innovation is gaining traction in the Upper Peninsula and across the state.
The “Superior Stick” is allowing winter maintenance technicians at the Michigan Department of Transportation to realize the full potential of another piece of equipment – the wing plow.
The wing plow allows a standard plow truck to clear an additional four to five feet on each pass, but L’Anse Maintenance Supervisor John Dault says there was one big problem with its adoption in some areas.
So the workers at the MDOT L’Anse Maintenance Facility got to work finding a solution.
The system is simple – a stick adorned with lights is affixed with a flexible attachment to the wing plow’s end, allowing it to move with the blade while continuing to provide high visibility for motorists.
Other lighting systems are available for wing plows, but they often require more maintenance.
A local company, Johnson and Berry Manufacturing, is currently producing the sticks, but the concept is available to everyone.
