SEATTLE — Snowplows are already rolling at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — even without snow on the ground.

SEA has spent the last two years acquiring eight new Øveraasen snow removal machines from Norway. The airport has not needed them for a major snow event in recent years, but crews are still rehearsing for winter storms. Operators practice on dry pavement about once a week, typically on Wednesdays, while normal flights continue on nearby runways and taxiways.

“We do not want to be a funnel that gets to be a pinch point where something stops,” said Perry Cooper, spokesperson for the Port of Seattle.

Airport officials said the machines can blow and brush away snow, ice and slush. The equipment combines a plow and broom into one unit, which crews said makes the operation faster

See Full Page