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Public Works Prepares For Overnight Snowfall

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh Public Works crews are preparing for a long night.

They're hitching plows to the front of the trucks and piling salt in the back.

The city has detailed its plans for the roads this afternoon.

The rain we saw throughout the area for most of the day was expected to turn into snow around 5 p.m. – and seemed to have happened just as scheduled.

But crews for both PennDOT and the City of Pittsburgh had been at the ready since much earlier in the afternoon – both taking the same approach to the impending storm: salt first, then as the snow accumulates, begin plowing.

Track plows and salt trucks in real time with the city's real-time tracker!

The challenge lies in how much snow falls and how fast. They city is looking at this as a Level 2 event. That means expecting 2 to 4 inches of snow and up to 60 vehicles on the road.

PennDOT is staffing 12-hour crews and urging drivers to use extra care if you have to go out.

"Level 2 means that it's going to take us anywhere from 16 to 32 hours after the snow has ended before we can treat the streets and the city at least one time," said Guy Costa, Chief Operations Officer.

"We are anticipating that this is going to be a significant snowfall happening overnight," said Steve Cowan with PennDOT. "If motorists can avoid travel, if it's not necessary, that'd be a great help to us. We like to try to get the roads as clear as possible for the morning commute."

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