How do safety crews decide which roads to treat?

PITTSBURGH — Winter is here, and that means snowy and icy roads across the region for the next few months.

We've had several viewers reach out to Channel 11 to ask about how road crews decide which areas need to be treated and how they decide which treatment is best.

Below is the answer from Allegheny County Public Works:

In terms of how Allegheny County Public Works approaches snow/ice events, we monitor forecasts and make plans days in advance. Salt is preloaded on our trucks, and if two or more inches of snow are predicted, plows are installed, as well. Additionally, if temperatures are expected to be 20 degrees or below, the salt is sprayed with liquid calcium chloride. If necessary, we pretreat our roads and bridges an hour or more in advance of the storm.

During the storm, our salt truck drivers take predetermined routes that are designed based on efficiency, so that our roads and bridges are treated as quickly and effectively as possible.  We constantly monitor the weather as well as the location and speed of our trucks via GPS trackers and make route adjustments, as needed, to ensure public safety. Also, our drivers are kept over the end of their shifts and additional drivers are brought in, as needed, to provide continual coverage until conditions improve.

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