New technology, techniques help keep roads plowed
The seemingly unstoppable force of nature — an expected 2 to 3 inches of snow accumulation — will meet what could be described as an immovable object Friday, Jan. 19, in Cranberry Township’s fleet of 20 plow trucks and 4,000 tons of salt.
Butler County and much of southwestern Pennsylvania will be under a winter weather advisory from 1 a.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday, but Cranberry Township plow drivers will be out at around 4 a.m. Friday to deal with the expected snowfall.
Kelly Maurer, director of public works for the township, said the township has several tools in its belt to help the municipality deal with winter weather, including road sensors, a stock of brine mixture and 25 public works employees.
“We use weather sensors in the pavement; it shows the pavement temperature, and we know when snow is going to stay on ground,” Maurer said. “We use brine now, it's a saltwater mixture. We've seen a decrease in salt usage since we started using brine.”
Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Pittsburgh, said Thursday snow accumulation is expected to reach about an inch by sunrise Friday, and up to another 2 inches could fall throughout the day. He said temperatures will hover in the teens throughout the day, leading to sticky snow and possibly some icy roads.
Hendricks also said the cold probably won’t let up all weekend.
“We’re looking at some scattered snow showers Saturday with no accumulation, high only getting around 18,” Hendricks said. “Low is 15 on Saturday night, becoming partly sunny Sunday afternoon, with a high in the mid 20s.
“We seem to have historically here a period in January where we get hammered with temps and get a decent amount of snow.”
With the forecast predicting a weekend of snow, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has treated roads ahead of the snow to help prevent ice from forming a bond with the pavement.
Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10, said the department prepares ahead of time for expected winter weather events, in a manner similar to Cranberry Township’s public works department.
“Regardless of time of day, we've got crews working around the clock to do pre-treating, or cleanup from a prior storm,” Gibbs said. “Every single one of our counties is well-stocked with supplies needed. We've got mechanics on call, working in shifts so we can get them back on the road as quickly as possible.”
Gibbs said PennDOT staff members monitor weather patterns so the department can decide when to dispatch plow trucks or send out more. The trucks are outfitted with technology that helps maximize efficiency, she said.
“All of our trucks have technology in them so they can tell what the road and air temperatures are,” Gibbs said. “All different kind of factors that come into play on how we get the crew out. It really is a team effort across the county to make sure we handle everything.”
Gibbs also said PennDOT is managing road maintenance with the staff it has, but the department has backup it can call on if necessary.
“Throughout the entire district we are down some staff still, but we have managed to have people in at all times,” she said. “We have a dispatcher who is essentially in the county offices and available to call (state police) if they need to call them in.”
Staffing at Cranberry Township has been steady, according to Maurer, and even when the public works department loses a staff member, the township gets flooded with applications. Each winter, employees from public works’ four teams — streets, grounds, traffic and facilities — staff the plows to cover 17 routes and eight facilities’ parking lots.
“They all come together as one team in the winter,” Maurer said. “Everyone does their same route every year.”
