Weather

Icy road conditions cause road closures, accidents

PITTSBURGH — The first accumulating snow of the season hit western Pennsylvania on Saturday, and more scattered snow showers continued Sunday causing roads to become icy.

Officials have reopened I-79 near Warrendale since it was closed for a period of time while crews worked on the icy roadway. Channel 11's Mike Holden reports that an SUV slid off I-79 and rolled down an embankment near Warrendale Bayne Road. The driver's condition has not been released.

"It's really, really slippery and really cold. And temperatures are really bad," Eva Dixon, a Warrendale driver, said

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials said crews were out since Sunday afternoon and would remain working through the night. There were approximately 22 trucks on the road.

“We were most certainly prepared for the winter weather that happened this weekend,” Yasmeen Manyisha, PennDOT District 11, said.

Allegheny County officials said crews would remain working through midnight, and 14-17 trucks would begin working at 4 a.m. Ivory and Union avenues were also closed due to icy conditions. The city of Pittsburgh had two trucks in each division overnight, with more available to be deployed if necessary.

Multiple accidents were reported Sunday evening.

"Everywhere I've been it's been really slippery and people aren't taking precautions.  They need to slow down," Dixon said.

PennDOT encourages drivers to reduce speed limits, avoid distractions and allow for additional space between vehicles and salt trucks.

Temperatures in the region plummeted after a stretch of unseasonably warm weather, giving the region its first taste of winter this weekend.

Cox Media Group

0

Most Read