Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) have announced the six winning names for this year’s “You Name a Snowplow” contest. The annual event, now in its fourth year, invited residents to submit and vote on creative names for city snowplows.
On February 1, DSS posted 25 finalist names from an initial pool submitted by Chicagoans. Residents could vote for up to six favorites until midnight on February 14. This year saw record participation with 13,300 entries and 39,000 voters. The entry “Chance the Scraper” received an honorable mention after narrowly missing the top six by just .24%.
“I want to thank the people of Chicago for their unmatched creativity, sense of humor, and civic pride,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We are grateful and inspired by the record-breaking participation in the contest this year. As we get through the last of the winter months, I encourage Chicagoans to seek out available resources through 311 and to continue interacting and engaging with local government.”
Residents who first submitted each winning name will be offered a photo opportunity with their named snowplow in coming weeks along with city merchandise.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation manages over 9,400 lane miles of roadway using a fleet of more than 300 salt spreaders prepared for winter conditions. Over 400,000 tons of salt are stationed throughout the city. During storms, residents can view real-time updates on snowplow locations via the City’s plow tracker.
The department employs more than 2,000 workers and provides services such as garbage collection, street sweeping, graffiti removal, rodent control, tree care, recycling efforts, and snow clearing across neighborhoods in Chicago (official website). Its work aims to enhance safety and equity while maintaining high standards for environmental services throughout urban areas (official website).
