Gritters pass the test

Cumbria's road gritters have met the first real test of the winter and exceeded their targets in many instances. Cumbria Contract Services, which provides the winter road maintenance service for Cumbria County Council, says everything went smoothly apart from during the exceptional and difficult conditions on one night last week. 

Councillor Tim Stoddard, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member with responsibility for Cumbria Contract Services, says:   

"I would like to pay tribute to our winter maintenance teams. They have worked extremely hard to provide an efficient service in this cold spell. Unfortunately there are sometimes a combination of rain and freezing ground temperatures which cannot be immediately overcome, but the managers and crews have done their utmost to deal with them as quickly as possible." 

County Councillor Kevan Wilkinson, Cabinet member with responsibility for transport says:   

"We know the importance of keeping the roads clear for the people of Cumbria and that is why we arrange our priorities for the winter maintenance programme as we do. When we have a lengthy cold spell or conditions that require regritting then it is not always possible to get resources to the minor routes and roads. Everyone concerned has worked long and hard in the recent cold spell to keep roads open and the public have been very understanding about the one night when the worst possible weather pattern meant that icing could not be prevented." 

Between December 23 and January 5 more than 2,600 tons of salt was spread on county roads, most of it in the latter part of that period. Pre-salting when freezing conditions are forecast starts at about 4pm and may be finished by about 9pm or be continued at various times through the night as necessary. On the night of January 8-9 pre-salting was done but later rain first of all diluted or washed away the salt and then froze on the cold road surface, forming ice. On ice, traffic action helps to make the salt and grit work on the ice, but traffic volumes were low during the night. The ice layer is too thin to be ploughed off and there is a limit to what the technology can do. 

Third priority roads are not normally treated unless conditions are severe. Cumbria Contract Services tries to keep a clear road in and out of every village, however, when conditions are severe, after treating first and second priority roads. 

The tractor gritters scheme in the south of the county was extended this winter to the Kirkby Stephen area. Under the scheme farmers are contracted to treat minor roads, where there may be narrow bridges, which might cause difficulty for gritting vehicles. Previously winter maintenance in South Cumbria was run from depots at Kendal and at Haverthwaite but they have been replaced in the last 12 months by a new depot with salt barn at Sowerby Wood, Barrow, where the operation ran smoothly in the first cold spell of 2002/3. 

In South Lakeland, the team based at Milnthorpe, has gritted all the first and second priority roads every night since December 31, 2002. The gritting teams go out at about 4pm and finish by about 9pm or earlier. First and second priority roads have been inspected every morning from about 5am onwards. About 700 tons of salt have been used in the area bounded by Dunmail Raise, Shap Fell, Tebay, Dent, Wrynose Pass, Duddon Valley, the Furness peninsula and the North Yorkshire and Lancashire borders. 

In West Cumbria, also, maintenance teams have also kept on top of the job, with no problems in keeping the first and second priority roads treated. Many other roads were also treated during the cold spell and even at times footways in the centres of the West Cumbrian major towns. On Wednesday afternoon and evening all first and second priority roads were pre-treated in expectation of further freezing temperatures overnight. Some third priority roads were also salted, with the gritting teams focusing on hilly areas with heavier snowfall, such as Caldbeck and Ireby. However, in the worst possible weather pattern, rain later washed away the salt before snow and frost returned, creating icy conditions. The West Cumbria gritting teams were alerted by police at 3am on Thursday and were out again by 3.30pm. Salting of five major routes was completed by 7am, with some finished earlier. With the return of daylight, third priority roads were treated, as well as footpaths in the major town centres and salt and grit bins on minor roads were topped up. 

Although air temperatures are rising, frozen ground underneath can still cause icing on the road surface for a day or two after a cold spell ends. Drivers are advised to continue to watch out for ice patches, especially on untreated minor roads, until ground temperatures rise also. The many smaller minor roads in Cumbria are not regularly treated and drivers are urged to include a spade in the winter survival kit in their cars which can be used to spread grit from the bins provided at regular intervals.