Pittsburgh officials urge residents to stay off roads, help neighbors as winter weather approaches

Pittsburgh officials on Thursday said they’re preparing for a weekend of winter weather with warming centers, extended hours at homeless shelters and overnight snow plowing and salting efforts.

They urged residents to do their part by staying off the roads Friday if possible.

“Our forecast is showing there’s going to be rain overnight with a flash freeze early Friday morning, followed by some snow,” Director of Public Works Chris Hornstein said. “In these conditions, we cannot pretreat, so we’re anticipating the roads could be potentially treacherous tomorrow.”

Hornstein said crews will work overnight to tackle the snowy and icy conditions on city streets as quickly as possible.

“Our goal is to get everybody home safe for the holidays,” he said.

Full loads of salt supplies are on hand throughout the city, Hornstein said. The department plans to have 60 plow trucks working overnight Thursday into Friday, with more than 75 trucks on the roads during the daylight hours Friday. They could deploy 60 trucks overnight Friday into Saturday, too, he said.

The city also is opening warming centers at the healthy active living centers in Brighton Heights, Greenfield, Homewood and Sheraden, as well as South Side Market House, on Saturday from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., said Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey.

Officials have portable emergency generators that can be used at warming centers in the event they lose power, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said.

The newly-opened homeless shelter Downtown, Second Avenue Commons, will expand their capacity as much as they can, Schmidt said, to bring more people off the streets as temperatures dip dangerously low. Other shelters throughout the city are similarly working to expand capacity and hours, he said.

The winter homeless shelter on Smithfield Street will operate 24 hours a day this weekend, he said.

“We have confirmed there should be enough space for everyone in different locations and different neighborhoods,” Schmidt said, adding that outreach workers are engaging with individuals on the streets to connect them with warm shelters and provide other resources.

Anyone who is unhoused an in need of emergency shelter this weekend should call Allegheny County Human Services at 412-350-5701, Montaño said.

Officials urged residents to stay indoors and off the streets Friday if possible. Gainey said nonessential city personnel have been given the day off, and he urged other employers in the city to do the same.

“We don’t know how bad this storm is going to be, but we know in order to treat the streets, we need people to be out of the streets,” he said. “If you don’t have to go out, please don’t go out. If you haven’t went shopping yet, please go shopping today and stay home tomorrow.”

Anyone who has to go outside should ensure they wear warm clothes and cover their skin to protect against frostbite, Schmidt said.

“It doesn’t take long to get some injuries from the cold and from the wind,” he said.

Snow plows will be prioritizing emergency routes, roads near hospitals and primary streets, officials said. Public safety officials are also able to call for plows to assist at emergency scenes.

“If you have emergencies or an urgent need, you can always call 911,” Schmidt said. “We’ll get the services to you.”

The mayor has set a goal of clearing all city streets within 24 hours of inclement weather, with major routes cleared first, followed by secondary streets in neighborhoods and tertiary streets, like back allies.

The city has canceled residential garbage collection Friday. Anyone who typically has their trash collected Friday can expect their garbage to be picked up Monday, Hornstein said.

Gainey urged Pittsburghers to be good neighbors during the inclement weather and check on elderly neighbors who may not be able to get out of their homes or shovel their sidewalks. He also called on residents to be supportive of public works crews who are taking on a dangerous job during a holiday weekend to clear the city’s streets.

“Let’s all be good neighbors this weekend, and we can all get through this storm together,” he said.

Related:

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• Pittsburghers skeptical of mayor's snow removal goals

• Pittsburgh seeks 'snow angels' to clear sidewalks for elderly, disabled neighbors