PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t surprising to hear the city announce a declaration of emergency after a storm of this magnitude. What was surprising was hearing Mayor Corey O’Connor say 37 more trucks went down overnight.
So clearing side roads is going to take more time.
The mayor repeatedly pleaded with city residents to be patient. He also asked people to continue staying off the roads if they can.
The city was already down a third of its fleet when the storm hit. 11 Investigates has been covering the issue extensively.
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So that means the city is down to about 50 trucks plowing and salting snow-covered roads.
But backup is coming… the emergency declaration allows the city to cut through red tape and bring in private contractors immediately.
Those contractors will plow snow and haul it out of the city. So expect to see a range of vehicles in city neighborhoods, from bobcats and front loaders to 18-wheelers that will be used to remove snow.
The mayor says he knows this has been a heavy, taxing lift for city workers.
“We are calling as many people as possible, while our crews are continuing to work all day. It’s hard,” he said.
The mayor said crews made a lot of progress on main streets, which we’ve seen.
But the buildup on the secondary roads and side streets is what they need to tackle now, and they’ll need the extra help.
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