Public Works
The responsibilities of the Borough’s Department of Public Works include:
- Maintenance of all Borough roadways including but not limited to storm drains and roadway maintenance.
- Maintenance of the sanitary sewer system
- Winter snow and ice removal
- Maintenance of Borough parks and playgrounds
In addition, the Department of Public Works is on call for any emergency such as sanitary or storm sewer backups, storm debris on public streets, flooding, landslides and any other public safety hazard regarding public roads throughout the Borough.
To reach Public Works between 7am and 3pm, call 412-828-8080 and follow the prompts for Public Works. For Public Works emergencies after 3pm, please call 911 and the dispatcher will reach the police who will call in the Public Works Department for incidents that can not wait until the next business day.

Snow and Ice Removal
Snow and ice removal is a top priority of Public Works. There are two snow routes covering the approximately 13 miles of roadways and alleyways.
Snow Removal Tips for Residents
- Please do not plow, shovel, or blow snow from sidewalks or driveways into public streets. The slows down snow removal efforts and can result in dangerous conditions for pedestrians and drivers.
- Please do not call to find out when a particular street will be cleared. When a snowfall occurs, all trucks and drivers are activated and will not be sent home until all streets have been cleared at least once.
- Plowing snow onto driveways and sidewalks cannot be avoided. Drivers are not permitted to steer the plow away from driveways.
- If possible, please do not park on the street, particularly when there are three or more inches of snow predicted. If you do not have off street parking or live on a narrow street, please try to leave adequate clearance for the snowplows to pass through.
- On Tuesdays and Wednesdays after a snow event, Public Works will clear remaining snow and ice from the parking areas of streets. Please be sure to move your car on those days to allow Public Works to clear the streets.
Street Sweeping
Street sweeping plays an important role in collecting debris from the roadways and preventing solid materials from entering the storm sewer system. This includes picking up excess road salt during the winter months, which prevents the excess salt from making its way into the river.
Tips for Street Sweeping
- Please move your car to off street parking spots, if available, or to the opposite side of the street on street sweeping days. This helps to ensure that the street sweeping operation can be performed more effectively and efficiently. The entire street can be swept when there are no obstacles in the way and the street sweeper does not need to weave between parked vehicles, thereby missing dirt and debris between the vehicles and curb.
- Trees that are too low or vegetation that is overgrown may prevent the street sweeper from properly cleaning the street. These trees, bushes and plants should be trimmed, if privately owned.
- Basketball hoops and other items such as refuse containers should be moved away from the curb on sweeping day.
- Please do not blow grass clippings onto the street. The street sweeper is not designed to pick up grass clippings, especially large amounts of them.
Leaf Collection
Public Works collects fallen leaves to prevent storm sewer backups and to maintain safe roadway conditions.
Tips for Leaf Collection
- Please place your leaves at the curb but not on the street as the street sweeper is not designed to collect large amounts of leaves.
- Please remove sticks and pet waste from leaves to be collected because both clog the leaf vacuum and cause delays in service.
Call Before You Dig
Call 811 before you dig to have the utilities marked. Learn more at:
Sewer Backups
Should you experience a sewer backup in your home, please contact us to let us know. We have the experience, knowledge and tools needed to assist in determining if the backup is caused by a Borough-owned line or a private sewer lateral. We will ask you to complete an incident report to track where and when sewer backups occur.
If the sewer backup occurs between 7am and 3pm, please call 412-828-8080. If the backup occurs after hours or on the weekend or a holiday, please call 911 and the dispatcher will assist in getting help where needed.
Road Maintenance
The Borough owns and maintains approximately 13 miles of roadways and alleyways. You can report a pothole online by using the Contact Us form. Please be as specific as possible about the location of the pothole. Please note that Allegheny River Boulevard is not a Borough-owned roadway and therefore is not maintained by the Borough (we are contracted to provide plowing and salting services but not to make repairs). As such, any potholes on Allegheny River Boulevard must be reported to PennDOT at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.