Some towns are trading in their snowplows for front loaders and dump trucks to deal with the remnants of Sunday’s snowstorm.
With bitter cold expected to keep the snow piles around for at least a week, communities have nowhere to push the snow, so they plan to pick it up and haul it out of the way of traffic and pedestrians on sidewalks.
Bruno Moretti, Allegheny Valley Emergency Management coordinator, said Springdale will be following a snow removal schedule throughout the day Thursday, Friday and Monday. Tuesday is reserved for extra time if crews need it.
“We’re just doing the narrow streets,” Moretti said. “There’s so much snow, people can’t park and emergency vehicles can’t get down them.”
He said the borough plans to tackle one-way and narrow streets with high-lifts and forklifts. Because of the heavy machinery, residents are asked to move their cars to off-street parking. The crew plans to scoop up the snow and haul it to a dump site since there’s no warm temperatures coming to melt the snow.
“We have to,” Moretti said. “There’s nothing else to do with the snow.”
A notice from the borough says residents could have their cars towed if they aren’t off the street when the snow clearing is scheduled.
He said the borough did the same type of removal following the “Storm of the Century” in March 1993, when the region received 26.6 inches of snow.
The Springdale Marina lot, at 100 Colfax St., was available for temporary parking for residents. Moretti said a shuttle will be available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during cleaning days for residents who park their car at the lot. The shuttle will take them home from the lot and back to their cars once their street is cleared.
“We’re going to look at the rest of the town to see if it’s feasible (to treat more roads),” Moretti said.
He said the cost of the work alone would be reason to stick to plowing and salt.
While Tarentum’s street department did not return a request for comment, the department’s vehicles, along with front loaders and dump trucks, could be seen collecting snow from around the borough. Snow was being dumped on a grassy space in the Hoops on Sixth park along West Sixth Avenue.
Residents in Verona also are being asked to move their cars off the streets as the borough preps to haul off its snow piles.
Jason Dailey, the borough’s interim manager, said no-parking restrictions normally used during street-sweeping season went into effect Tuesday. Residents were asked to move vehicles according to the schedule as cleanup moved through the borough.
The borough was about 45% cleared by the end of Tuesday, Dailey said. The borough owns a backhoe with a bucket that’s being used to haul snow off the streets.
“With the cold weather, the snow is not going anywhere,” Dailey said.
Dailey said there are smaller trucks that can be loaded with snow as well. The borough intends to contract services for additional equipment and manpower, Dailey said. Despite the go-ahead to make those contracts, the service is limited because surrounding communities are looking into the same removal methods.
“When we’re clearing, we’re trying to get it done as quickly as possible,” Dailey said.
He said the borough also is facing challenges with a road salt shortage.
“Salt is being delayed and coming via barge,” Dailey said. “Barge traffic is hard to navigate on frozen rivers.”
Verona road crews plan to dump snow in Railroad Park and Verona’s other green spaces because they’re not being heavily utilized in the cold weather.
“Provided I can get the contracted service in place, I would hope we can have the borough cleared going into the weekend,” Dailey said. “It’s all based on what we can get access to.”
