Old man winter will be here soon enough, and officials with the State Department of Transportation say they are ready.
Eight new tow plows will help clear the roads in this region this winter, according to Regional Director at the DOT, Kevin Bush.
He says the tow plows can clear twice as much road as the traditional dump trucks used to plow expressways and highways.
"The tow plow will swing out, only takes four seconds, and that will cover another 12 feet of pavement, and that allows us to cover two full lanes of traffic at one time."
He says this allows road crews to be efficient, safe, and economical in taking care of snow and ice.
Bush says as with all plows, motorists should never assume the plow driver can see them, so keep a good distance away from the plows, and don't pass on the right.
From the motorists’ point of view, it will appear from behind as though there are two snow plows on the road.
The new snow clearing equipment comes courtesy of Governor Cuomo's New York Responds initiative, which allocated over $50 million dollars for new winter storm equipment.
Here's what the 70 feet long, 24 feet wide plows look like: