The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) northwest region partnered with area high school students for its annual “Paint the Plow” program to challenge their creativity and bring awareness to winter traffic safety.

The joint effort invites participating schools to have students paint a snowplow blade with an original piece of artwork based on a provided theme. The statewide theme in 2021 was “School Spirit.”

Among the goals of the program is offering the students an opportunity to see a plow firsthand to give them a stronger understanding of the size of the department’s trucks and the importance of giving drivers plenty of space to maintain the roadways during the inclement weather.

“‘Paint the Plow’ is an excellent opportunity for PennDOT to engage with teens because it allows them to express themselves while being reminded about safe driving behavior, particularly in the upcoming winter months,” said PennDOT District 1 Executive Brian McNulty, P.E.

Participating schools included:

• Venango County – Rocky Grove High School;

• Warren County – Sheffield Area Middle School, Warren High School, Tidioute Charter School, Youngsville Middle/High School, and Eisenhower Middle/High School; and

• Mercer County – Farrell Area High School, Commodore Perry Jr./Sr. High School, West Middlesex High School, Mercer County Career Center, and Mercer Area School District.

Members of the public can view photos of the painted plow blades online at www.penndot.gov/District1 by clicking on the “Paint the Plow” button.

Paint the Plow was piloted in Cambria County in 2015 and later expanded to surrounding counties. The program was halted in 2020, as many schools were operating on a virtual or hybrid schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic[KJ2] . For the 2021 school year, PennDOT reintroduced the program without the competitive aspect to emphasize the fun side of the partnership.

For more information on winter driving and PennDOT operations, visit www.penndot.gov/winter.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.gov/District1.

Information about infrastructure in District 1, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D1Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow local PennDOT news on Twitter and like the department on Facebook.

MEDIA CONTACT: Saxon Daugherty, 814-678-7095

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