City Leaders Meet To Discuss Unplowed Streets In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Local residents are feeling defeated after yet more winter weather storms through -- and their problems with getting plows to treat their streets are mounting.

"We hear you," said City Councilman Anthony Coghill. "We've been working on it, not only previously but dating back to last year, identifying what we need to bring it up to par."

City Council met with the mayor's leadership team Monday morning. Coghill said they need more plow trucks and drivers. He recently proposed legislation to reallocate more than $470,000 in capital budget funding to buy six snow plow trucks and rent six more.

The council votes Tuesday morning, and he hopes it's approved.

"We have six brand new trucks in Erie right off of a lot that I hope we'll be getting right before the end of the week," said Coghill. "The leases I believe kick in next week."

KDKA spoke to residents who hope this meeting will lead to a better response moving forward because they're tired of being ignored by city leaders. One neighborhood still dealing with snow-covered streets is Carrick.

Kathy Gallagher has lived on Dellrose Street for 52 years and she says they're forgotten about every winter -- saying it's both frustrating and dangerous. Gallagher says she had to call 911 because her mother fell and the firefighters had to walk to their home because of the snow and ice.

"I went to the grocery store yesterday and every single side road off Brownsville Road was clear except ours," Gallagher said. "If this would have been something, they just picked her up and she was fine, but they can't get here and I'm worried about that," Gallagher added.

KDKA then reached out to the Mayor's Office and City Council, and within two hours, a salt truck arrived.

"It was a mess," said Levon Whitmore, who lives on Aidyl Avenue in Brookline. "You had cars sliding over, especially with the hill being there. That's unsafe".

He said the city fails to plow these neighborhood streets every winter.

"I'm upset," said Whitmore. "We pay taxes to live here like anybody else, just like a main road."

Whitmore said the roads are difficult to drive on and dangerous.

"With the pandemic, I understand," said Whitmore. "Everyone is short-staffed. You just have to deal with it, but at least come through and throw some salt down."

City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith says they're working hard to revamp the process and have hired more workers and may buy new trucks.

WATCH: Chris Hoffman reports

City leaders say they're still waiting on 17 new trucks that should have been delivered by now, but are delayed because of supply chain issues. Coghill hopes to have all the plow trucks by spring.

"The combined effort and with new equipment and a new plant, we should helpfully yield better results for next year," Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jake Pawlak said.

During storms, Pawlak said a realistic goal is to have city streets treated within 36 hours due to staff and resource shortages.

"I do want to stress that doesn't mean that your street is clear pavement. It means we treated it with a salt and a plow," he said to KDKA.

He added that sometimes the salt isn't as effective because it needs cars to run over it for activation.

"There will be instances where there is a road we've treated once or even multiple times that isn't clear pavement," Pawlak said.