Department of Roads and students rollout Blizzard Wizard for winter

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. - When the snow starts to fly, the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR) will hit the roads with a freshly painted snowplow, known as Blizzard Wizard. As part of the agency's annual paint the plow program, MCDR partnered with Anchor Bay High School to paint one of the department's snowplows ahead of the winter season.

High school graphic design and art students from Anchor Bay High School created and submitted designs for the snowplow in the fall and the winning design was voted on by Macomb County and MCDR staff. The snowplow was unveiled Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, MCDR director Bryan Santo, Anchor Bay School District superintendent Phil Jankowski, Anchor Bay High School principal Michael Mackenzie, graphic design teacher Liz VanNuck, art teacher David Stumpf, and students from Anchor Bay High School.

"The Department of Roads is dedicated to keeping Macomb County roads as safe as possible around the clock during the winter months," said Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel. "Thanks to the creativity and work of students at Anchor Bay High School, one of our snowplows will be hitting the roads in style for the entire community to enjoy."

MCDR has more than 100 snowplows, salt trucks and graders in its fleet and more than 100 maintenance employees that are dedicated to keeping the roads clear of ice and snow. This is the third plow that has been painted as part of MCDR's paint the plow program.

"Thanks to the talented students at Anchor Bay High School, we'll be putting Blizzard Wizard to work this winter to help keep the roads clear," said MCDR director Bryan Santo. "The paint the plow program serves as a friendly reminder to the motoring public to drive safely and steer clear of snowplows during winter weather operations."

Previously, MCDR partnered with Switzer Elementary Schooland Collins Elementary Schoolto paint county plows, which are still in service today. Macomb County residents can catch a glimpse of the painted plows patrolling this winter.

"We appreciate the partnership with the Department of Roads to showcase the work of our talented students at Anchor Bay High School. We have many gifted design and art students, and this was an exciting and creative way for them to be recognized," said Anchor Bay High School principal Michael Mackenzie. "It is a great example of a cross-curricular activity that encourages students to work together to create a project from start to finish. I applaud our teachers, Ms. VanNuck and Mr. Stumpf, for taking on this fun but challenging endeavor and appreciate the support from Cori Wiley, the Anchor Bay supervisor of maintenance and facilities, for making it possible."

Schools and teachers that are interested in participating in MCDR's annual paint the plow program can contact the Department of Roads at 586-463-8671 or [email protected]for additional information.

"This was such a cool opportunity for our students to see their work come to life in a real-world project. They started with designs in Photoshop and Illustrator, which were voted on by the Department of Roads and their maintenance service center personnel." said Anchor Bay High School graphic design teacher Liz VanNuck. "Watching Mr. Stump's traditional art students bring the design to life was amazing. This is an experience our students will never forget. We enjoyed the opportunity to be part of this!"

Photos of the snowplow painted by Anchor Bay High School students are available online.

New rules of the road around snowplows

While MCDR equipment and snowplow crews are prepared for winter, drivers should be prepared to remain safely behind any active snowplow. To help protect snowplow drivers and motorists and reduce winter crashes, Michigan passed a new law, Public Act 72 of 2024, that makes it a civil infraction to drive closer than 200 feet behind a snowplow that is actively salting, sanding or operating to remove snow and ice. The required distance behind a plow is 20 feet when the plow is stopped at or in an intersection. Starting this winter, drivers following a snowplow too closely could face a $100 ticket. For more information about snowplow safety, visit michigan.gov.

To stay up to date of what's happening on Macomb County's roadways this winter, the public can sign up for real-time winter operations and traffic updates online at macombgov.org/roads.

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