Meet Troy Blomer, a 6’5” tall street maintenance worker. He’s been with the City for more than 18 years, keeping streets smooth by filling potholes, paving, plowing and more. During that time, he’s driven a Bloomington plow truck through Minnesota’s winters and remained serious about his mission: clear roads, safe travel and happy residents.
Plowing might sound simple, but Troy will tell you it’s more like playing real-life Pac-Man with high stakes. We caught up with Troy for an inside scoop behind the blade.
What’s the earliest or latest you’ve plowed? The earliest start was 11 p.m. The latest was whenever the storm said so. A plow event can stretch three days. Crews stagger shifts, so no one works more than 12 hours.
What’s your go-to cab snack? My wife says gummy bears and she’s not wrong. But on a marathon shift I might swing by Clark Station on Cedar Avenue for the non-diesel kind of fuel.
Wildest thing you’ve seen while plowing? A bus near Mall of America spinning a full 360 degrees on ice. I was headed uphill behind it. I couldn’t go forward, so I went backwards, dropping salt and blade to slow my descent.
What’s one thing people don’t realize about plowing? Plowing goes faster without cars or garbage bins in the way. Folks can really help by not parking on the street.
Most satisfying part of the job? Looking back and seeing a street cleared curb-to-curb. And when people wave at me.
