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KDKA Investigates: City Streets Snow-Covered As Plow Operators Stay Home

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Cars crawl down Maple Terrace on Mt. Washington, still snow covered from Friday night's storm.

KDKA's Andy Sheehan: "Looks like it hasn't been touched."

"No, it hasn't," said Mt. Washington resident Thekla Wainwright.

Folks says it's too dangerous to drive down Strachan Avenue in Banksville. So, Lou Spezzano salted and shoveled one of the side streets himself after getting no response from the city.

"No one could get off the street. We have to shovel the street ourselves, salt it," said Spezzano. "Several calls, more than several, probably about 10, 12 calls and everybody keeps pushing you off."

Three days after the snowstorm, KDKA found dangerous side streets throughout the city thick with ice and snow. The city maintains most were treated before the storm, but that falling temperatures made their rock salt and plows ineffective.

"So what happens is, they plow it, they salt it, traffic comes by, it compacts it, the snow is not melting, the ice is not melting because of the salt," said Pittsburgh Chief Operations Officer Guy Costa.

But Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith isn't buying it.

"It's unacceptable for our residents. We shouldn't have a pocketful of excuses, we should have solutions," she said.

Smith, who's been critical of the Peduto Administration's response to the last two snowstorms, is calling for an overhaul of snow removal operations. But KDKA has learned that many plow operators just didn't come to work this weekend, leaving the city shorthanded.

Sheehan: "People didn't show up this weekend?"

Costa: Well, we could talk... yeah, there were folks that didn't come in to work and we're a little disappointed in those employees, and we will be dealing with those employees this week."

While the city is looking to discipline those no-show employees, Smith says the people want the administration to refocus on providing core services.

"They don't care about anything that we do across the state, across the country, other countries, they care about what we're doing right here in Pittsburgh that effect their quality of life everyday. That's what we need to improve on," she said.

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