Ask Abbey: Who treats my road for snow and ice?

Ask Abbey: Who treats my road for snow and ice?

Crews from South Fayette Township, PennDOT or Allegheny County may salt and plow a road in South Fayette, depending on ownership and winter maintenance agreements.

South Fayette Township owns and maintains nearly 80 miles of local roadways, plus plows and salts 33 miles of state roadway through a winter maintenance agreement.

South Fayette Township Public Works superintendent Dan Dernosek loads road salt into the bed of a truck for driver Dale Kirkpatrick at the Morgan salt shed in January. The department runs 16 routes to plow and salt roads during winter storms.

Photo by Andrea Iglar

State-owned roads maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)

• State Route 50

• Washington Pike

• Boyce Road

• Mayview Road

State-owned roads maintained by South Fayette Township Public Works

Any state roads that South Fayette maintains involve only the portions located within the township. South Fayette receives payment to treat certain roads under a contract with PennDOT; additions were made for the 2023–2024 snow season.

• Battle Ridge Road

• Kenneweg Avenue

• Millers Run Road

• Oakridge Road

• Presto-Sygan Road

• Robinson Run Road

• Union Avenue

Allegheny County-owned roads maintained by the county

• Thoms Run Road

• Seminary Avenue

• Multiple bridges

Township-owned roads maintained by South Fayette Public Works

• All township-owned streets, alleys and roadways

Private roads

Private roads are the responsibility of the owner, whether an individual or a homeowner association.

In new housing developments, roads initially are private until they are built to proper specifications and home construction is all or mostly complete. Once the roads become public, they are maintained by the township.

Usually, a developer will pay a fee to either a private company or the township for snow maintenance until a road becomes public.

How roads are prioritized during storms

Public Works regards all roads in the township as important but prioritizes primary routes during winter storms.

Primary routes include main arteries and roads that connect to them; school, municipal and emergency routes; and streets leading to health care facilities.

Secondary routes are streets and culs-de-sac in housing developments, along with sparsely populated residential streets, less traveled country roads and community parks.

How to report road concerns

To report icy/snowy road conditions or other concerns about a road that is maintained by the township, call 412-221-8700, or submit an issue at southfayettepa.com/request.

To report concerns about roads owned by Allegheny County, you can visit callcenter.alleghenycounty.us.

For state roads maintained by PennDOT, visit customercare.penndot.gov.

As always, if you have an emergency or need a police officer, please dial 911.

Abbey Scheerer is an administrative assistant with South Fayette Township.