Plowing continues on snow-covered Pittsburgh streets

Crews with Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works were still working to clear snowy and icy roads on Friday after the first significant snowfall of the season Thursday evening.

Enough city streets remained covered in snow and ice Friday morning to prompt school closures for Pittsburgh Public Schools, which moved to virtual instruction.

Nonetheless, City Councilman Anthony Coghill — whose South Hills district had significant challenges with snow removal last year — said the response showed improvement from past years.

“I’m really pleased with how everything’s progressed,” Coghill said Friday morning. “I could not have been more pleased with the reaction from the new Gainey administration on the first test.”

In the first snowfall of his administration, Mayor Ed Gainey rode with Department of Public Works crews as they salted and plowed roads. He and Coghill rode along to see firsthand the efforts to clear roads in the city’s Fourth District, which includes Brookline, Beechview, Overbrook, Bon Air, Carrick and Mt. Washington.

Jake Wheatley, who Gainey named as his chief of staff, rode along with a crew in the North Side.

“Last night I went out to ensure we’re doing everything we can to treat and plow the streets,” Gainey wrote on Twitter. “My team and I are looking at how we can improve for the next one.”

CommUnity. Tonight is our first snow of the winter. I’m headed out with Matt south of the Mon to Brookline to ensure the we are doing everything we can to treat and plow our streets. pic.twitter.com/u3Z3SLRVRq

— Ed Gainey (@gainey_ed) January 7, 2022

Coghill said there already have been several improvements from last year.

Crews previously used no more than 400 pounds of salt per mile. They can now use up to 1,000 pounds per mile.

The city also has trained more employees to drive the plow trucks and is requiring them to work overtime hours when roads are snow-covered or icy.

Coghill said more improvements are on the way. The city is waiting to receive 17 additional vehicles it ordered for its fleet. The vehicles are smaller trucks that are more adept at navigating narrow streets with cars parked on either side, a common issue in many Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Coghill’s district also will be getting a new public works facility, which should be completed next year.

“I’m encouraged by our progress from our mistakes we’ve made in the past, but still, we fall short in areas,” Coghill said, noting he received calls from residents complaining of poor road conditions.

“In a snow like this where an inch comes down and turns into an ice-skating rink, they need to be patient,” he said, explaining that crews were working throughout the day Friday to clear secondary and tertiary streets that remained untouched Friday morning.

Ten trucks have been servicing Coghill’s Fourth District, with operators putting in 28.5 man hours as of 10 a.m. Friday, Coghill said, citing data from the Department of Public Works. The trucks dropped about 275,000 pounds of salt on roads in district neighborhoods.

Crews worked overnight citywide, first focusing especially on roads near emergency facilities like hospitals, police and fire stations and emergency shelters.

Since snow began following Thursday evening, crews have spread about 3 million pounds of salt and treated 2,780 miles of road, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

The Department of Public Works will extend their shifts into the evening Friday until all city roads are clear.

Gainey said he was “proud of our Department of Public Works and the incredible workers who did everything they could to ensure our streets are treated and cleared.”

The Pittsburgh region saw between 1.5 and 2 inches of snow, said Jenna Lake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures will get warmer this weekend, with rain expected Sunday, Lake said. There is a chance of snow showers Monday night, she said.

Residents can check on the snow removal efforts in their neighborhoods with the city’s Snow Plow Tracker.

The city also announced Friday that it will open warming centers in response to frigid temperatures. Warming centers will be available on weekdays when daytime temperatures fall below 20 degrees. The sites will be located at the Homewood Healthy Active Living Center, South Side Market House Healthy Active Living Center, Greenfield Healthy Active Living Center and Sheraden Healthy Active Living Center.