The City of Pittsburgh picked a typically steamy summer day to announce that it saved $1 million from new methods of salting roads last winter.
Using new technology and a different salt mixture, Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works used only 376 tons of salt per inch of snow that fell. Historically, the public works department has applied 917 tons of salt for every inch of snow, according to a statement released Tuesday.
Salt costs roughly $88 per ton, and it snowed 21.7 inches overall during the 2019-2020 winter season. In previous years, treating the roads would have cost the city roughly $1.75 million in materials. By contrast, last winter cost the city $718,000.
“From adopting the city’s first snow plow tracker in 2015 to deploying technological and mechanical upgrades to our snow plows, the changes we have made have not only expanded city services and transparency but saved us money, too,” Mayor Bill Peduto said.
“This technology is already paying for itself and will only lead to more savings year after year.”
The city says snow removal routes are being upgraded, improved, and made safer based on driver feedback.
The overall cost of the upgrades, including salt spreaders that are tuned with calibrated application rates, was $1.7 million. With $1 million in salt savings alone last winter, the upgrades should pay for themselves during the upcoming snow season, according to the city.
