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Icy, slushy roads cause problems across Pittsburgh area

PITTSBURGH — Snow showers have been in the Pittsburgh area since Monday evening, and the Severe Weather Team 11 says they're not letting up anytime soon.

While the snowfall totals haven't been impressive -- less than an inch across the region -- many people reported trouble with the morning commute, especially south of the Liberty Tunnel.

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From uncontrollable crashes on the ice in Beechview to fluffy snow in Observatory Hill, crews dealt with a variety of conditions.

As the morning turned to afternoon, some wondered: was the Department of Public Works ready?

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"We were as prepared as we could be," said Michael Gable, director of the Department of Public Works. "I mean we were figuring it was going to be in around 1 to 2 in the morning. We had crews scheduled and in. Again, it's only a few hours before rush hour."

Drivers are hoping the city will take better care of the roads Tuesday night.

"The challenge is when it really started to cover or freeze," Gable said. "If this was 11:00 last night, it would have been a completely different situation. It was just a few hours before everybody was ready to get on the road at 6:00."

Moving forward, as we expect to see another round of precipitation  crews are working around the clock as the DPW keeps its plans fluid into the night and early-morning hours.

"People have to be patient and they also have to make better decisions about when they go out," Gable said. "If they can hold up an hour or so they might actually find that they're road conditions would have been a little bit better."

Crews are being brought in for overtime -- to put as many trucks out as possible overnight.

 

Cox Media Group

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