Tracking snow plows online Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found many cities and states have websites where you can track the path of plows, but nothing like that in Northeast Ohio.

So, we investigated who’s doing it and who’s not.

Ultimately, we found the city of Cleveland and the city of Akron both now beginning to discuss creating a public website for tracking plows.

It seems like every time snow falls in Northeast Ohio, everyone asks, ‘Where are the plows?’ In Cincinnati, you can track plows online.

You can also do it in Columbus and Pittsburgh, as well as all over Pennsylvania.

In 2018, the I-Team got an exclusive look at a system tracking Cleveland plows, but the public can’t see that. It’s only for workers directing and monitoring city crews.

So, we took questions to city hall. We asked the city’s chief operating officer why the city has not set up a public site.

Bonnie Teeuwen said, “Yes, we can, but there’s a process we have to go through.”

She pointed out a new administration just took over at Cleveland City Hall, but discussions are underway to put a Cleveland plow tracking system online for everyone to see.

Teeuwen said, “It’s in process. With the new administration, we have to evaluate it. I think it’s a good idea.”

What about the Ohio Department of Transportation? ODOT has not had discussions about a public tracking system for state plows.

Although, again, Pennsylvania has done it, along with Nebraska, Illinois and some other states.

The folks at Tuthill Flowers say a pubic plow tracking system could help them. They make deliveries even in snowstorms.

“I would like to know where we can get and where we can’t go and what areas are accessible.” said owner Curtis Gast.

He said that system would’ve been helpful during the last big snowstorm in trying to find the best way to go to make deliveries.

“It was just that we were unable to get down the road and there was just no way,” Gast said.

So, for now, finding out where the plows are depends on where you live.

We’ll let you know when the city of Cleveland and city of Akron plans move forward.