Mayor aims to improve Pittsburgh's snow removal in 8-point plan presented to city council
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor has a new, eight-point plan to handle snowfall in the city.
The mayor said in a letter to the city council on Thursday that only 72 out of 104 existing Department of Public Works trucks for snow removal are ready for the road.
The letter came after a meeting with department leaders on Thursday about the city's preparedness and response to winter weather.
Part of it includes scheduling more drivers for training immediately.
O'Connor's letter said newer DPW employees can be trained on snow removal on drier, warmer days.
Under the plan, all trucks will be chained every day so they're ready for snow and ice treatment.
"That sounds a little excessive to me," Barry Thomas of Downtown Pittsburgh said.
There are 17 more Department of Public Works Parks Division vehicles that will be equipped with snow removal equipment, and O'Connor says you should expect that in 2-3 months.
"If they have them – use them," Donna Sciulli of Beechview said.
Mayor O'Connor says he's authorizing extended hours for repairs to the city's fleet.
He also says DPW will separate available kinds of salt to make sure they're being used for the right temps -- one for salt effective at 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and one effective at -15 degrees Fahrenheit.
"If they're differentiating that, that's a great idea," Thomas said.
The mayor added his team, and DPW will also search and make plans for additional facilities where salt will be stored, so that drivers will be able to more easily refill their supplies on their routes.
Rounding out the plan? Creating a snow response command center at the City-County Building – including senior administration and DPW leaders.
The command center will monitor routes, salt levels, vehicle maintenance, and other things, O'Connor wrote.
Lastly, the mayor says there will be an accurate tracking system for snowplows. He claims it will be transparent, adding that new technology did not work with existing programs.
O'Connor said that caused programs with tracking, and that GPS units will be put in starting Friday so that the public has more accurate and transparent access.
"I think that's very good because I think some neighborhoods think they're underserved," Thomas said.