New Road Salt Method Saves City of Pittsburgh $1 Million

The city of Pittsburgh has announced that they have saved $1 million with new methods of salting roads last year. With the use of technology developed in collaboration with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a new salt mixture, the Department of Public Works has been able to expand city services, improve transparency, and save the city money.

“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.

Find more information on the original project here.