Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday pointed to broken-down snowplows and inexperienced drivers as key reasons the city struggled last week to clear nearly a foot of snow from the streets.
O’Connor said he hopes to remedy both problems before next winter.
“We did what we could,” O’Connor said, adding that plow drivers “were out there working as hard as they could.”
The mayor Monday convened a roundtable with Department of Public Works officials to discuss what went right, what went wrong and what they could improve next year.
O’Connor last week declared a state of emergency, clearing the way to quickly bring in independent contractors to help not only plow snow from the roads, but also to haul tons of precipitation that piled up at intersections and in parking spots.
Still, residents throughout the city waited days for snow and ice to be removed from their roads.
Officials seemed to agree that hiring outside contractors was a big help.
They also applauded the decision to fit plows and salt spreaders to vehicles typically assigned to maintaining parks or gathering trash.
“They held up, which I think is a good sign we should be doing more of those,” O’Connor said.
The mayor acknowledged that some alleys were still untreated eight days after the Jan. 25 snowstorm.
Crews are continuing to plow roads, widen lanes and move snow from neighborhoods to sites throughout the city, including the sprawling Hazelwood Green development.
Such a massive snowstorm is a “rare event,” O’Connor said. It’s been about 16 years since so much snow pummeled Pittsburgh, according to the National Weather Service. Sub-freezing temperatures since the storm haven’t helped.
Many of the city’s plow drivers, O’Connor said, had never experienced so much snow. Some didn’t have adequate training for navigating steep, narrow roads in inclement weather.
Department of Public Works officials told the mayor during Monday’s roundtable they would provide additional training on city roads — rather than on off-street courses — this summer to ensure crews were ready for winter weather next season.
Last week, 37 city snowplows broke down in a single night. O’Connor maintained that crews “were keeping up” with snow removal until that happened.
Officials blamed the breakdowns on the age of the city’s fleet, a problem that has raised alarms for years but that is expensive to remedy.
O’Connor last week announced a major boost in efforts to modernize the fleet. UPMC is donating $10 million for new ambulances, freeing up money in the budget to purchase 35 snowplows. A $2 million gift from the PNC Foundation will fund 15 more plows.
Dan Gilman, the mayor’s chief of staff, said officials are convening an emergency Equipment Leasing Authority meeting Friday to expedite the purchases. The mayor hopes to have new plows available by next winter, though officials have said ambulances take about a year to be delivered.
O’Connor also promised to investigate a “glitch” that caused issues with the technology that guides drivers along their routes. Some were forced to rely on paper maps.
The mayor said he was open to exploring a range of options to ensure Pittsburgh is better equipped next time a snowstorm strikes.
One option, he said, would be partnering with the city’s parking authority to move vehicles off roads and into lots. That would make it easier for plows to get through streets, he said, explaining that Philadelphia has used a similar method.
O’Connor also encouraged residents to do their part to clear snow. Business owners and residents, he said, should shovel their sidewalks if they’re able. Residents who can’t clear their sidewalks can seek help through the city’s Snow Angels program.
