Allegheny County Preparing For Major Snow, Ice Event

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA — A winter storm watch is in effect for the region, and the county has begun preparations for a lengthy weather event that could include, snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain and ice.

County public workers director Stephen Shanley said Tuesday that 32 salt trucks will be on the road Thursday when the freezing rain starts. Shanley said the trucks will provide continuous coverage until the precipitation stops and all county maintained roads care clear.

"Pre-treating our roads is not an option during this storm because the rain that falls before the temperature drops would wash away any salt that we place, " Shanley said in a release. "During the freezing rain and sleet part of the storm, we will place extra salt on our roadways to increase traction. We are monitoring the forecasts and might change our plans, as needed."

Depending on traffic, county salt truck drivers take about one to two hours to complete their routes and another hour to return to the nearest maintenance garage, reload with salt, and restart their routes. So there likely will be ice and snow accumulation on our roadways at times during the storm.

"We appreciate the public’s patience as we work to remove the ice and snow as quickly as possible," he said. .

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