PennDOT, Pittsburgh-area officials ready for potential blast of winter weather

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – With the reality of winter right around the corner, it’s important to stay updated on possible rain, snow and ice in the future.

It’s hard to keep up with the weather, but cold rain is ahead, which could call for some slick and slushy roads.

With Sunday being a First Alert Weather Day, it’s important to prepare the roads before the cold rain comes down.

Allegheny County maintenance manager Ben Devore tells KDKA-TV that he and PennDOT are ready for what the next few days may bring.

“We had prepped everything on Friday before we left for the day; we’re going to have a patrol out starting Sunday at 4 p.m., and then at midnight, we’ll have a full call out.”

Devore says they have hired extra teams this year, feeling grateful for the added help.

“We have enough operators. We did a lot of hiring this year and are in a lot better position than in the past.”

Putting salt on roads and surfaces lowers the freezing point of water and prevents ice from forming, which can lead to accidents when not being careful.

“With a storm like this, we have to wait for temperatures to get close to that point of changing over. At that point, we will start applying salt to the road so that the rain and water on the roadway will start to melt and create a base-level brine on the roadway for us,” Devore added.

He recommends Pittsburgh-area drivers to stay alert and to take it slow. Stay out of the way of salt trucks and those clearing the roads.

We want to try to help keep the road as clear and passable as we can. We don’t want it to get snow-covered and then have to treat it; we want to keep up with it so that we keep traffic moving.”

KDKA-TV will be keeping you covered on rain and any possible freezing temperatures heading our way.