15 November 2006
ROADS SERVICE PREPARED FOR WINTER - WESTERN
Roads Service is prepared for the wintry weather that is inevitably just round the corner.
Although Northern Ireland has seen the mildest Autumn for many years with overnight temperatures well above average, Pat Doherty, Divisional Roads Manager, Western Division, is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge ahead.
Western Division comprises Strabane, Magherafelt, Omagh, Cookstown, Fermanagh and Dungannon Council areas.
Mr Doherty said: "October was an exceptionally mild month, however in the beginning of November we have experienced the first frosts of winter, Roads Service is well prepared to deal with this challenge.
"Every night from now until the middle of next April we will have over 40 people on standby to salt main roads, helping drivers to cope with wintry conditions.
Approximately 17,000 tonnes of salt is stored in depots across Western Division, ready for use when required. When ice or snow is forecast our 28 gritters can salt nearly 1,700 kilometres (1060 miles) of main roads in just over three hours, a massive logistical exercise that costs over £14,000 each time it takes place."
But he warned that even with the most careful and thorough planning, the use of special Met Office forecasts and the latest ice prediction technology, Winter Service is really a battle against the elements and ice-free roads cannot be guaranteed.
"The Met Office cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of forecasts and it takes three hours to salt a route. There is always a risk of rain washing off the salt before a freeze and this means that motorists have to play their part by taking great care during wintry conditions.
"We provide a high level of service but we cannot defy nature or provide summer driving conditions in the midst of winter. The best advice is in the Highway Code - drive with care even if roads have been salted; be prepared for road conditions changing over short distances; and take care if overtaking gritters," he said.
DRD Roads Service salts main roads carrying more than 1,500 vehicles per day as well as other busy routes with special difficulties (e.g. steep hills) that carry over 1,000 vehicles per day. In applying the criteria, service buses and school buses get a high weighting - eg a 40 seater bus is counted as 40 vehicles. Small settlements of more than 100 dwellings each have a salted link via the shortest route to the salted network, and consideration is given to placing grit piles or salt boxes at hills, bends or junctions on roads that do not meet the criteria to be salted. Across Northern Ireland this operation costs around £5m over the winter period and meets the needs of 80% of all traffic movements.
Because of this high cost, it is vital that Roads Service's civil engineers take informed decisions with the help of the latest technology. This includes ice sensors linked to 20 weather stations across Northern Ireland, and thermal mapping of all roads on the network. The Met Office uses information from these stations along with its own data to provide forecasts which are transmitted to engineers' computers.
Roads Service also tries to ensure that wherever possible, the public are kept fully up to date with road conditions at this time of year. Information on salting activities is relayed electronically to the broadcast media to ensure the latest news on road conditions is available to motorists.
Mr Doherty said: "We see at first hand how winter hazards give rise to extremely dangerous driving conditions. The worst problems normally occur during heavy and prolonged snowfall and this is where there is the high risk of disruption. All gritters will be fitted with snow ploughs and we will spread salt at up to three times the normal rate. But clearing snow is much more difficult than dealing with frost, because of the large volume of frozen material. The best advice to drivers is to stay off the road when severe weather hits."
Roads Service's plans for dealing with snow means that all efforts will be directed to clearing snow from motorways and the trunk roads, before moving to other main roads and the busiest urban link roads. The operation will continue until all roads are cleared, but this may take some time even with all resources deployed. In very deep snow, Roads Service will use its 11 snow blowers, the latest of which can shift 1,600 tonnes of snow an hour. Arrangements are also in place to enlist the help of contractors (including farmers) to clear blocked roads.
A winter service leaflet is also available to help inform the public about winter driving and is available by calling 02890 540540 or from the website at www.roadsni.gov.uk.
Media queries to Emma Flynn Davies, Press Office, Department for Regional Development, Tel: 028 9054 0372.
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