Snow, Cold Cause Problems For Morning Commute
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Drivers faced a little bit of everything this morning with accidents, water main breaks and heavy backups.
The light snow and cold overnight made for a tough commute across the area.
Crashes piled up during the morning rush in Washington and Allegheny counties.
One wreck happened around 7:30 a.m.in O'Hara Township.
A minivan and pickup truck collided at the intersection of Powers Run and Freeport Roads.
Police said there were three people in the van, including a school-aged girl had to be extracated because her leg was pinned in the vehicle.
She was taken to Children's Hospital with leg and head injuries.
The driver of the pickup was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital.
It took crews over an hour to clean up all of the debris left scattered on the street.
Both vehicles sustained heavy damage and had to be towed away.
Along the stretch of Route 51 near the West End Bridge, there were at least six separate accidents. The roadway was a sheet of ice. Emergency responders were called in, as well as crews to salt the roadway.
After being at a standstill for quite some time, traffic on Route 51 in both directions finally started moving again around 9:45 a.m.
Crashes weren't they only issue for drivers this morning either.
Water main breaks caused big time backups around the area.
One shut down Becks Run Road at Brownsville Road in Carrick.
Another large break created difficult conditions in Pittsburgh's Knoxville neighborhood.
That break happened on Bausman Street near Knox Avenue. Crews blocked off the street as part of the road crumbled.
Even drivers who didn't encounter crashes or water main breaks dealt with lots of brake lights and heavy delays because of the coating of snow.
Many drivers said they're hoping for a much smoother commute tomorrow.
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