Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said this afternoon that city crews are scrambling to clear snow from all secondary streets today, knowing that a forecast of 6 to 10 inches of new snow expected tomorrow will force them to return to primary roads.

The goal for secondary streets is "to at least get them treated in some way before the additional snow starts to fall tomorrow," Mr. Ravenstahl said by phone. "I want to make sure that those roads that haven't been touched are dealt with.

"The thought process and rationale is to attempt to get at least the top layer of snow off of all streets" before snow starts again.

Mr. Ravenstahl said that starting at noon, firefighters were ordered into the streets to help people to dig out cars, to ensure that access to hydrants isn't blocked and to generally "deal with senior citizen issues. ... We are doing everything we can and using every resource we can."

Resources at the start of the storm included 60 salt trucks, a few of which have broken down due to 24-hour-a-day use. PennDOT high lifts and front loaders, as well as equipment from two private contractors hired to help out, are also working city streets, he said.

Pittsburgh City Council was preparing to approve an emergency declaration to allow for prompt contracting without formal bid processes.

"Every piece of equipment and every person that we have available is out on the street dealing with snow removal," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

The mayor said that to his knowledge, staffing did not drop even during the Super Bowl last night. His instructions to Public Works Director Robert Kaczorowski: "The only way that a call-off was going to be approved, you'd better have a doctor's excuse.

"For the most part, our employees have done an admirable job," he added, noting that drivers "are starting to get frustrated and worn down and tired. We're going to attempt to pick them back up."

Mr. Ravenstahl said continued snow coverage on some major roads seemed to be driven by the unique nature of the storm. "The hard-pack and icy conditions made it difficult for public works to deal with no matter how much salt they applied."

The city's snow removal plans, he said, will be reevaluated, but he added that it's hard for any plan to deal with roads so bad that public works vehicles get stuck, roads blocked by abandoned cars, and the need to constantly veer from routes to help public safety vehicles get to emergencies.

"This is not something where you can take a cookie cutter plan and implement it," he said. "This is something that hasn't happened since 1993. This is one of the toughest storms that the city has ever faced. So it's not going to go as smoothly as some would like, myself included."

He said 911 calls are being screened to handle the most serious issues first. City paramedics are focusing on true emergencies, leaving non-emergencies like sprained ankles to the National Guard.

"No matter where you're at in the city, no matter what your street may look like, if you have an emergency, we will be able to get to it," he said.

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