PITTSBURGH — Over the last 48 hours, Channel 11 has heard from dozens of city residents who say their neighborhood roads have not been cleared yet.
“When I turn my truck around, I’m spinning all over the place,” one viewer told Channel 11.
It’s what most drivers on Mount Washington have been experiencing for the last 48 hours.
“I’ve been here a few years, and every year it’s the same thing,” Mt. Washington resident Lydia Sabol added.
Channel 11′s Gabriella DeLuca tracked down Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who told her the new deadline to have the neighborhood roads cleared is tomorrow.
On Monday, the city told Channel 11 the deadline was Tuesday morning.
“We rushed to clear the main streets. The side streets are a problem, we know that. We are going to do all we can to work around the clock tonight until it’s done,” Gainey said.
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According to Gainey, equipment issues caused delays.
Chris Hornstein, director of Pittsburgh Public Works, said eight trucks broke down in the middle of the storm. The drivers for those trucks were then off the streets, waiting to hear if their trucks were drivable.
“If that driver loses two or three hours waiting for a conclusion, that’s time he’s not plowing, they’re not salting. So that’s a pretty big impact when you consider that city-wide. Everyone gets a little further behind, and it’s a little longer until we get to your street in your neighborhood,” Hornstein told Channel 11.
Councilman Anthony Coghill told Target 11 his office received nearly 500 calls Tuesday from upset residents in the South Hills.
“The ones who are complaining, we’re doing the best we can out there. Public Works is going to continue doing the best we can. We are going to continue to work until we get it right,” Gainey said.
The mayor reiterated that he plans to make investments into Public Works to get them the equipment they need to finally make this perennial winter weather problem a thing of the past.
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