CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) today announced the 50 names chosen in Phase I of the City’s third annual ‘You Name A Snowplow’ contest. In the next phase, Chicago residents may view the list of finalists and vote for up to six names at shovel.chicago.gov by January 21, 2024. Once the votes are tallied, the top six names will represent one snowplow in each of the City’s six snow districts, joining the previously named snowplow fleet.

“Each year, city staff looks forward to reviewing all the fun and imaginative names submitted by Chicago residents for this contest,” said DSS Commissioner Cole Stallard. “It’s wonderful to see the creativity and engagement across the City, and we encourage all Chicagoans to take the time to check out the finalists and vote for their favorite snowplow names.”

Once the names are chosen, signage for the winning snowplow names will be installed on the snowplows, and residents who submitted the winning names (earliest time stamp when there are multiple submissions) will be offered a photo opportunity with the named snowplow along with city swag. 

DSS manages more than 9,400 lane miles of roadway with a fleet of over 300 salt spreaders that are fully prepared to respond when needed, along with more than 400,000 tons of salt stationed at salt piles throughout the city. The City’s full snow fleet can be viewed in real-time during winter storms via the City’s plow tracker.  

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