plow driver Alaina Denton is one of twelve plow drivers who work for the NYSDOT between Ray Brook and Keene. She is the only female driver in the crew, a fact that Denton takes pride in.

Denton discovered her passion for big machinery while studying at CV-TEC, a trade school in Plattsburgh, where she made the National Technical Honors Society. 

Snowplowing runs in Denton's family. Her uncle Harry worked for the DOT for nearly 40 years, and her father is still on staff.

Driving a plow is like driving a tank, Denton explained, both are big and slow. She eased her way up to cruising speed, about 35 miles per hour.

"Always double check your mirrors," she said, driving west on Route 73 towards Lake Placid. "You never know when somebody is going to come flying up the middle lane and you’re coming right over because they do like to fly through here.”

Winters in the Adirondacks can be long and demanding for plow drivers. "Last year we got called in, I think, forty days straight in a row," said Denton. "We work really long shifts, but you end up getting used to it after a while.”

During winter storms, the DOT is staffed 24 hours a day. Denton is on the A shift, so she works from 1 am to 1 pm. The B shift covers 1 pm to 1 am.

Years ago, there was a nationwide shortage of plow drivers. Today, the DOT said it does not have any staffing issues. The state employs about 3,500 snow and ice staff who plow about 38,000 lane miles around New York State, not including the thruways.

In the summer, the DOT staff in the Adirondacks remain focused on the roads- they fill potholes, dig ditches, and build culverts. That work has changed as the climate has gotten warmer and wetter.

Winter work has changed as well. There’s been a push to reduce the use of road salt, especially in the Adirondacks, where data shows it's polluting waterways and drinking wells. New technology now helps plow drivers regulate salt much better, including the use of salt brine on the roads before a storm.

The plows are also changing. As Crowningshield explained, they’re now incorporating reactor blades that bolt to the plows.

"They are approximately 12 inches long, they’re individual blades that contour to the road, and it scrapes more of the snow off so you can put less salt out," said Crowningshield.

This is Denton’s third winter driving a plow, but her precision and confidence make it seem like she’s been doing it a lot longer.

As she navigated the twists and turns of Cascade Pass at 35 miles an hour, a line of cars formed behind her. Denton said that used to stress her out, "but then I realized- take your time, they can wait. You’re making sure their roadway is safe.”

No amount of plowing can keep roads completely clear of ice and snow, especially during a winter storm, so Denton said drivers, too, need to slow down, give plows room, and don’t pass them, especially not on the right.

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/52703/20251202/ride-along-with-a-young-woman-plow-driver-during-a-winter-storm-in-the-adirondacks