Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Prepare For Major Winter Storm

PITTSBURGH, PA — Mayor Ed Gainey vowed the city will do better in snow removal efforts than it did during last weekend's winter storm as Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials detailed how they will combat expected significant accumulations this weekend.

“Our focus is on our goal of making sure all roadways in our city are safe and passable in a timely fashion,” Gainey said at a news conference detailing how the city plans to respond to the storm.

Acting public works director Chris Hornstein said 80 snow plows will hit city streets and will use the 20,000 tons of salt the city has available. Public works crews will begin working at 2 p.m. on Sunday, around the time the snow is expected to begin.

County public works director Stephen Shanley said the county will deploy 30 salt trucks when the snow begins to fall and will provide continual coverage of county-maintained roads until the snow stops and county roads are cleared.

"If needed, drivers will be kept over the end of their shifts, more drivers will be brought in and additional trucks will be deployed," he said.

Shanley noted that it takes salt truck drivers one to two hours to complete their routes. It then takes about an hour to return to the nearest maintenance garage, reload with salt and restart their routes. If snow is falling quickly, as is expected, there will be accumulation on the roads.

"For that reason, we advise residents to avoid driving during the storm if possible," he said.

"If they must leave their homes, we encourage them to slow down, avoid making any sudden moves or fast turns, avoid quick acceleration or hard breaking, and leave extra space between their vehicle and the one in front of them. Also, please give our salt truck drivers plenty of room to operate."

Click here to learn which entity is responsible for plowing a specific roadway within the county. The site also provides provides phone numbers to call if there is a snow removal issue.

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