State Of Emergency Declared In McKeesport
MCKEESPORT (KDKA) - A state of emergency has been declared in McKeesport and drivers are being urged to stay off the roads.
Icy conditions and a low salt supply are making for a very difficult situation in the wake of the latest round of winter weather.
The problems started early Monday morning.
Police set up cones and blocked off parts of the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge around 6 a.m. because of an accident and extremely slick conditions.
The bridge has since reopened, but that didn't end all the problems for drivers in the area. Roads across McKeesport were icy and many were untreated.
That's because the city is simply out of salt.
According to Mayor Michael Cherepko, road salt has been on back order since Feb. 10.
Crews have been rationing the remaining supply for weeks, but two house fires over the weekend, nearly depleted the stock.
The lack of salt has translated into treacherous conditions.
"I slid two different times and I was going probably 2 mph. There were cars in back of me honking because I'm going too slow," April Brown said.
"You stop and you just start sliding. People are driving on the curbs because that's where the loose snow is at, so they won't slip," Alexander Simmons said.
Along Eden Park Boulevard, drivers were also taking it slow.
They were crawling in front of McKeesport Area High School and Renzy Park.
Watch Lynne Hayes-Freeland's report:
The roads were so bad that all classes in the McKeesport Area School District were canceled.
"I had even called my kids and told them before they canceled the school that they were not going. I wasn't going to drive up to get them," Brown said.
The mayor has not said when more salt will be arriving, but hopes this matter will be resolved in the very near future.
RELATED LINKS
More Local News
More McKeesport News
More Reports From Sarah Arbogast
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
