Allegheny County Public Works announced preparations ahead of major winter storm

ALLEGHENY COUNTY — Allegheny County Public Works announced preparations ahead of the upcoming Winter Storm Watch.

In a media release, Public Works said they anticipate rain transitioning to freezing rain early Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon, they expect there will be a mix of rain, sleet and snow. They’re also expecting snow on Friday to accumulate to two to three inches.

The release stated they will deploy 32 salt trucks when the freezing rain starts on Thursday, and will provide continual coverage until the precipitation stops and the county-maintained roads are cleared.

According to the release, pretreating the roads isn’t an option with this storm system because the rain that falls before the temperature drops could wash away salt.

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To compensate, Public Works said they will drop extra salt on the roadways to increase traction during the freezing rain and sleet part of the storm system.

According to the release, it takes the salt trucks about one to two hours to complete their routes, and another hour to return to the nearest maintenance garage, reload with salt and restart their routes. The time frame depends on traffic.

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Allegheny County Public Works said they recommend staying home when the roads are slick, if possible. If you have to leave home, they recommend slowing down, avoiding sudden stops and turns, and leaving extra space between your car and the one in front of you.

The release also said Allegheny County Public Works “appreciates the public’s patience as we work to remove the ice and snow as quickly possible.”

To learn which entity is responsible for salting and plowing a specific roadway within the county, visit Who Plows My Road at http://alleghenycounty.us/whoplowsmyroad. It provides phone numbers to call if there is a ice or snow removal issue.

Mild Tuesday ahead of wintry mix (2/1/22)

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