WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Channel 11 was invited to take an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how they make decisions ahead of winter storms.
“We have housing developments coming off of our farm roads now that we consider low priority. Unfortunately, it’s high-priority roads for them,” said Dave Forky, Westmoreland County maintenance manager for PennDOT.
After receiving criticism for road treatment in Westmoreland County, PennDOT showed us how it decides which road gets the most attention.
PennDOT says when snow is coming down fast, like it did over the weekend, operations change. The agency pulls its fleet to clear high-priority roads like I-70, Route 30, Route 51 and Route 22.
“We don’t have the capability of going back to those routes until later on, until the road is passable to the public. And that’s how we have to operate because our main focus is our higher priority roads,” Forky said.
Forky says they still treat backroads with a mixture of salt and brine, but return to them later. He says Westmoreland County has a “no bare roads policy,” which allows them to treat roadways before plowing them.
“We can’t make the roads bare. We just can’t dedicate a truck to just be making a loop right there,” he said.
Westmoreland County drivers we spoke with thought PennDOT did a fine job with the weather they were fighting recently.
“We are not really judged by the path you take but by the truck that got you there,” Tony Campos said.
PennDOT’s next concern with the freeze/thaw cycle is the potential for potholes.
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