The T on the rail tracks coming out of a tunnel, approaching the Mt. Lebanon stop.

Roads & Transportation

Snow and Ice

Keeping our streets and sidewalks clear is a priority when it precipitates.

Clearing your walks

Following a snowfall, Mt. Lebanon residents, property owners and businesses are reminded that snow and ice must be removed from their sidewalks within 24 hours after the end of the snowfall so they will be clear and safe for pedestrian traffic. Businesses have four hours to clear sidewalks. If snow continues to fall, the sidewalks must be cleared and kept open for passage.

Blowing or dumping snow into the street is a violation of the municipal code. Violating homeowners are liable in case of an accident.

If you would like to report an un-shoveled sidewalk, please call the police department at 9-1-1.

Listen to a podcast about our snow removal process!

A red snow plow blade in snow on a road

Snow Angels matches seniors with helpers

Clear sidewalks are an important way to keep everyone safe after a snow or ice event, but we know Mt. Lebanon has some vulnerable residents who need help. Homebound seniors can be matched with a volunteer through Mt. Lebanon’s Snow Angels program. Here’s how it works:

If you are in need of having your sidewalks shoveled, fill out this form: If there is a volunteer in your area, we’ll connect you with that person.

If you are able to help your neighbors in need by shoveling sidewalks, fill out this form. Please see age requirements and rules on the form.

If you know a senior without internet access, you can have them call program director Greg Wharton at (412) 343-7032 for assistance.

Snow and ice response

The Mt. Lebanon Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining our streets during the winter. The department takes care of approximately 227 lane miles—We get that figure by accounting for each drivable lane on all our roads. Public works uses a combination of plowing and applying deicing chemicals to keep the network of roads safe for residents and visitors.

Whenever Mt. Lebanon has frozen precipitation, the department responds with nine trucks to clear snow and ice from all streets within our borders. We have nine snow routes organized by terrain such as hills, traffic volume, proximity to schools and St. Clair Hospital and the surface material of the street (brick streets are done earlier because they get slippery quickly.)  Mt. Lebanon also has an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Allegheny County to maintain state and county roads in the municipality. Mt. Lebanon is reimbursed for that service.

During a snow or ice response, our crews use three trucks on main roads and six smaller, four-wheel-drive trucks on residential routes. The highest priority streets are done first, such as the routes to schools and the hospital. Each of the nine routes has about 24 lane miles. During an intense storm, operators may focus on high priority routes so that emergency vehicles can respond to all areas of the community.

Larger trucks can haul about eight tons of salt and smaller trucks carry four tons. Each truck will need to refill once in the middle of the route to complete it during the average response. It takes about four hours to complete the routes if staff does not need to plow.

What if it continues to snow? Crews begin their routes all over again.

Snow and Ice

Show All Answers
We wish we had enough snowplows and drivers to take care of every street right away, but our resources are limited and so we must adhere to a carefully laid out system for clearing the streets. If we allowed our plows to be diverted each time a special request was made, our system would be destroyed and it would take far longer to get all the streets in the municipality cleared. To keep our snow removal operations as effective and efficient as possible, plows are not permitted to deviate from their assigned routes. Highways and arterial streets have first priority for snow plowing, and then collectors and then the remainder of the streets are then plowed.
Under ideal circumstances, we can predict fairly accurately when we will have streets in various sections of Mt. Lebanon plowed. As weather conditions change we often must alter our snow-fighting strategy in the midst of the snow removal operations in order to control drifting snow, ice or other special problems. We cannot give you an estimate of when your street will be cleared due to ever-changing weather conditions.
Each snowplow has an assigned route. If the trucks spread salt on their way to their destination, then they wouldn’t have enough to spread along their own route. Plowing along the way would mean it would be just that much longer until the truck reached its assigned route.
The varying sizes of cul-de-sacs present plowing problems ranging from difficult to impossible. A plow can easily cut an 11-foot path through the snow on a straight road surface, but trying to plow and turn the blade in a small circle in a cul-de-sac is very difficult.
We wish we could comply with all requests, but equipment and manpower limitations do not permit us to deviate from our predetermined snow plowing system.
Different types of storms require the use of different snow-fighting techniques. The decision whether to salt or plow depends upon the expected weather conditions. For example, if the temperature is below 18 degrees and not expected to rise, salt will not be effective. But if the sun is shining and the temperature is 20 degrees or more and expected to remain steady or to rise, then salt would be more effective. The decision whether to plow or salt is made with great consideration and based on the latest weather information available. Plowing under the wrong conditions can create a polished street surface, resulting in dangerous glare ice. The decisions made by an experienced crew and supervisory personnel are critical.
There are three reasons why you might see plows on the streets on snowless days. One is that every driver undergoes pre-season training. Skills must be sharpened and routes need to be learned and relearned. The second reason
is that the trucks may be scanning for secondary cleaning (cleaning the streets where vehicles were parked during the plowing of the streets). The third reason is that the trucks can be salting ice condition areas that are out of their view, or other problem areas.
Our telephone lines are understandably jammed during severe weather conditions. We advise limiting your travel, or staying off the roads entirely if possible. Listen to television and radio bulletins about road conditions and check in with social media sites such as Twitter or apps such as Waze or Google Maps. Remember that we can only provide information about streets within the municipal limits. Our phone lines should be used primarily to alert us if a street has been missed or if there is some special problem relating to the snow removal operations. If you need to contact our department, please call 412-343-3403 or 911 if the issue is an emergency.

Tips

How to shovel your driveway so the snow doesn’t get plowed back in: