Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works is budgeted to get more workers and equipment in 2023, which officials say could improve snow response and other services.

The department’s administration division is set to hire nine full-time employees, a 53% staffing increase from this year. The operations staff is slated to get an extra 55 workers, bringing their total staffing to 321.

Those workers will be able to help expedite snow removal throughout the city and increase the department’s capacity to clean and maintain vacant lots, Public Works Director Chris Hornstein said. Added staff also will help with enforcement, inspections, pothole repairs, special events and the rollout of the city’s new plastic bag ban, which will go into effect in April.

The additional workers could cut in half the amount of time it takes for crews to treat streets during the winter months, Hornstein said.

Hornstein and Mayor Ed Gainey have set a goal of treating all city streets within 24 hours of a snow event. The added staff, Hornstein said, “supports reducing this goal from 24 hours to 10 hours.”

But the effects won’t be felt right away, Hornstein said. It will take time for new workers to be hired and trained before they can actually begin driving their own routes, he said.

“They’re not going to have a substantial impact for the month of January,” he said.

Hornstein said it’s important for new drivers to first ride along with experienced staff to ensure they are prepared before they tackle a difficult job. “City streets are extremely difficult to plow. They are steep. They are difficult to navigate,” he said.

The proposed 2023 budget also calls for leasing 14 additional vehicles for the winter to ensure Public Works crews have the necessary equipment to clear streets. Last year, the city leased about half as many vehicles.

The city now owns 113 plow trucks, though only 95 of them are fully operational, Hornstein said. Thirteen of the city’s trucks are down for maintenance, four are at the city’s vendor for additional work and 26 are classified as “partially capable,” meaning they may be without a plow or lacking some other equipment needed to function at full capacity.

The maintenance issues are largely because of the age of the city’s fleet, Hornstein said. The average age of the vehicles is about 10 years, he said. The standard goal is to have a fleet’s average age be around five to six years old.

Hornstein advocated for buying newer equipment to help bring that number down, though he acknowledged leasing is a helpful short-term strategy. While it may be pricey to buy new vehicles, a younger fleet means lower maintenance costs, better reliability and improved safety for drivers, he said.

“Of all the departments that affect our residents, (the Department of Public Works) is one of the top. Snow removal, streets — people care about that,” said Council President Theresa Kail-Smith of Westwood. “Of all our departments, that’s one of the places our residents don’t mind if you spend money.”

The proposed budget also has money from the parks tax trust fund for other vehicles, including eight dump trucks, eight pickups, an inspector car, an agricultural tractor, two backhoes and a mini excavator.

• Pittsburgh sets goal to clear roads within 24 hours of snowfall • New public works facility won't be ready to help Pittsburgh's South Hills neighborhoods this winter • Pittsburgh council members question whether snow plow tracker is help or hindrance

The department is expected to build a new facility within the next year to service neighborhoods in the South Hills. The project, which has been in the works for five years, was repeatedly delayed because of issues such as the covid-19 pandemic and the discovery of an unknown mineshaft under the proposed site.

Hornstein said officials are in the process of final permitting and approvals and will break ground “as soon as possible.”

Councilman Anthony Coghill said he is relying on the new facility being “up and running by next winter, fully staffed.”

City Council earlier this week approved an extension of a contract that provides technology for the snow plows, including GPS and the technology behind the city’s snow plow tracker, despite concerns from some council members about its accuracy. Hornstein said it’s important for residents watching the snow plow tracker to understand that leased vehicles are not tied into the system and won’t appear on the tracker.

While the department is gearing up for snow in the coming months, they also are working to renovate five fire stations, Hornstein said. Renovations will include improving quarters for women, which now exist in about four stations. They also are looking to make “appropriate accommodations” for female firefighters in other stations that aren’t slated for more significant renovations.

Councilwoman Erika Strassburger also called on the department to work with her on a goal of ensuring that every city resident is within a 10-minute walk of a public restroom and water fountain. She said she would like to work with Public Works to create a publicly accessible database showing where they’re located. She also wants a similar database showing where there are ADA-accessible facilities in city parks.

In total, the operating budgets for each division of the Department of Public Works add up to $70.9 million for next year, up from $63.5 million this year.

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