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Heavy-duty machines borrowed from other cities to clear D.C. snow

WASHINGTON — As D.C. continues to clean up from the storm, residents may see some interesting pieces of equipment doing the job around town. The front loader swallows the snow, while an attached blower dumps a constant stream of gray slush into a nearby truck. It’s the D.C. Department of Transportation’s newest toy, borrowed to clear curbs and sidewalks.

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“It’s an amazing piece of equipment to see in action,” Terry Owens, a DDOT spokesman, says. The giant snowblower is operated by contractors from Boston. “You’ve heard about the snow melter at RFK. All of that is to get the District up and running,” Owens said. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said two snow melters — on loan from Indiana — are handling the snow collected by tractors. “Our crews are making good progress,” Owens said. “They are working through the night, on 12-hour shifts. We’re down to asphalt on all major arteries and are starting to tackle the hardest to reach streets.” Another one of these machines was spotted in the city Wednesday morning. Watch video of that device below. https://youtu.be/HG1iRvqTxtE

WTOP rides shotgun at 140 mph on DC’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix course

Less than 24 hours before the first checkered flag waves at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in D.C., drivers got a chance Friday to put the 1.7-mile street course through its paces. WTOP got to ride shotgun in a 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, reaching about 140 mph on the streets surrounding the National Mall. Behind the wheel was Ken Morris, General Motors' senior vice president of product programs, product safety and motor sports. “Oh, inspiring!” Morris said after the run. “D.C. is such a phenomenal place. I'm starstruck by it every time I'm here and to be able to have a track in the middle of it is fantastic.”
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