DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. WITH WHAT $2 MILLION CAN DO FOR THE CITY? WELL, THE NEED FOR SALT TRUCKS AND PLOWS STILL ON FULL DISPLAY AS YOU DRIVE DOWN ANY STREET IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. TONIGHT, THE MAYOR AND THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS EXPLAINING WHAT DIFFERENCE A $2 MILLION DONATION COULD MAKE. THEY SAID, IF WE GAVE YOU 2 MILLION, HOW MANY PLOWS DOES THAT GET YOU? AND WE SAID 15. A GIFT BY THE PNC FOUNDATION TO BE SPENT WHERE PITTSBURGHERS CAN SEE THE BENEFIT ON THEIR CITY STREETS AFTER EVERY SNOWSTORM. THE 2 MILLION TODAY FROM FROM PNC IS GOING STRICTLY TO PLOWS. THAT WAS THE AGREEMENT. THAT’S WHAT WE AGREED TO. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THIS MONEY AUDITED SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY THAT COMES IN GOES SPECIFICALLY TO WHERE IT WAS ASKED TO GO TO. ACTING DIRECTOR OF PITTSBURGH’S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS JON MCCLURE SAYS RIGHT NOW, THE CITY HAS ROUGHLY 70 WORKING PIECES OF SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT, DOWN FROM WHAT CREWS STARTED WITH ON SUNDAY. AT ONE TIME, WE DID HAVE 82 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT OUT ON SUNDAY AND THAT WAS EVERYTHING. WE THREW EVERYTHING AT IT TRACTORS, PICKUP TRUCKS, WHATEVER WE COULD. BUT THEN THE BREAKDOWNS STARTED GOING TO A CALL WHEN THE TRUCK SHUTS DOWN OR DOESN’T SPIN, IT’S ALREADY NOW. IT’S ADDING TO ALREADY A STRESSFUL JOB. SO THIS IS HUGE. IT’S BIG FOR THEM. I THINK THEY’RE EXCITED. THEY’RE PUMPED UP THAT WE’RE GOING TO GET THEM SOME NEW VEHICLES. AND THAT WAY THEY CAN THEY CAN DO THEIR JOB. MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR SAYS THIS $2 MILLION DONATION, PAIRED WITH YESTERDAY’S UPMC DONATION OF $10 MILLION FOR AMBULANCES, OPENS THE CITY COUNCIL UP TO MORE INVESTMENTS. I THINK THAT’S THE BIG WIN HERE IS THIS MONEY CAN NOW NOT ONLY WORK ON OUR FLEET, BUT ALLOW US TO INVEST IN COMMUNITIES. O’CONNOR SAYS THERE WILL BE A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION IN HIS OFFICE ON MONDAY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WENT RIGHT AND WHAT WENT WRONG IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THIS WINTER S
Pittsburgh receives $2 million donation from PNC Foundation for snow plow trucks
Updated: 7:17 PM EST Jan 30, 2026
Pittsburgh is set to improve its snow removal capabilities with a $2 million donation from PNC Bank, designated for the purchase of 15 new snow plow trucks.”They said, if we gave you $2 million, how many plows does that get you? And we said 15,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said at Friday’s announcement.The funds, provided by the PNC Foundation, are designated specifically for snow plows, ensuring that Pittsburgh residents will see the benefits on their streets after each snowstorm.”The $2 million today from PNC is going strictly to plows. That was the agreement. That’s what we agreed to,” O’Connor said. “We’re going to have this money audited so that everybody can make sure that the money that comes in goes specifically to where it was asked to go.”John McClory, acting director of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works, said the city has roughly 70 working pieces of snow removal equipment right now. That number is down from what crews started with as they tackled Sunday’s snowstorm.”At one time, we did have 82 pieces of equipment out on Sunday, and that was everything,” McClory said. “We threw everything at it — tractors, pickup trucks, whatever we could.”But then, the breakdowns started.”They’re going to a call when the truck shuts down or doesn’t spin. Now it’s adding to an already stressful job. So this is huge,” McClory said. “It’s big for them. I think they’re excited, they’re pumped up that we’re going to get them some new vehicles, and that way they can do their job.”O’Connor also mentioned the recent $10 million donation from UPMC for ambulances, which, combined with the PNC donation, allows the city council to consider further investments.”Remember, that’s $12 million. Now, that offsets some of our capital. Now, we can invest that, continuing to invest in your neighborhoods, in your small business districts, in your parks, in your playgrounds. And I think that’s the big win here, is this money can now not only work on our fleet, but allow us to invest in communities,” he said.
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh is set to improve its snow removal capabilities with a $2 million donation from PNC Bank, designated for the purchase of 15 new snow plow trucks.
“They said, if we gave you $2 million, how many plows does that get you? And we said 15,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said at Friday’s announcement.
The funds, provided by the PNC Foundation, are designated specifically for snow plows, ensuring that Pittsburgh residents will see the benefits on their streets after each snowstorm.
“The $2 million today from PNC is going strictly to plows. That was the agreement. That’s what we agreed to,” O’Connor said. “We’re going to have this money audited so that everybody can make sure that the money that comes in goes specifically to where it was asked to go.”
John McClory, acting director of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works, said the city has roughly 70 working pieces of snow removal equipment right now. That number is down from what crews started with as they tackled Sunday’s snowstorm.
“At one time, we did have 82 pieces of equipment out on Sunday, and that was everything,” McClory said. “We threw everything at it — tractors, pickup trucks, whatever we could.”
But then, the breakdowns started.
“They’re going to a call when the truck shuts down or doesn’t spin. Now it’s adding to an already stressful job. So this is huge,” McClory said. “It’s big for them. I think they’re excited, they’re pumped up that we’re going to get them some new vehicles, and that way they can do their job.”
O’Connor also mentioned the recent $10 million donation from UPMC for ambulances, which, combined with the PNC donation, allows the city council to consider further investments.
“Remember, that’s $12 million. Now, that offsets some of our capital. Now, we can invest that, continuing to invest in your neighborhoods, in your small business districts, in your parks, in your playgrounds. And I think that’s the big win here, is this money can now not only work on our fleet, but allow us to invest in communities,” he said.