Winter maintenance with utmost care

Throughout the winter period, 41 salt spreaders and 200 staff members are on standby in the 255-kilometer stretch of the A2 motorway between Świecko and Konin. The performance of equipment and people is supported by detailed weather forecasts which are continuously compared against the readings from additional meteo stations deployed along our motorway, as well as with information obtained from motorway maintenance patrols.

On all Polish motorways the first winter maintenance level applies. This means that the equipment is expected to appear on the road within half an hour after it starts snowing. The carriageway must be cleared from snow within 2 hours after the end of the snow fall during day time and within 4 hours after the end of the snow fall at night. That is why it is so important to have the staff at hand to man the equipment which is ready for action. The staff of the operator, Autostrada Eksploatacja, responsible, among others, for the winter maintenance of the concession section of the A2 motorway, have at their disposal 5 salt storage depots located along the 255-kilometer section of A2, 41 salt spreaders, detailed weather forecasts and up-to-date information from their own meteo stations deployed on our motorway.

During preventive and curative maintenance on motorways, highway salt is used with NaCl solution, and in temperatures below -7°C with CaCl solution. Such mix permits quick removal of the snow deposit from the road. All this to ensure maximum safety to travelers on the concession section of A2.

It must be remembered that traffic safety in winter depends to a large extent on drivers themselves. Adjusting the speed to the road conditions, changing the tires to winter ones, having a proper windshield washer fluid and, on top of that, a warm blanket and a thermos with a hot drink are the measures that will permit a safe trip. Let’s also remember to fill our tank up and maintain bigger distance between vehicles than usual. This is important in the context of visibility and tire performance during snowfall. When the snowfall is very intensive and visibility is very poor, it is worthwhile to consider taking the nearest exit to a parking place to safely wait there for better weather conditions.

Our behavior on the road may also help maintenance services carry out their winter duties more efficiently. Salt spreaders drive up to 60 km/h. Some drivers, despite the hazard, take the risk and overtake the salt spreaders in operation. However, it is important to realize that during the continuous snowfall, the road ahead of the salt spreader is still covered with snow and driving on such surface may be dangerous. On top of that, snow coming out from under the snow blades may not only damage your car but also push it off the road. The salt spreaders working in the concession section of A2 are equipped with snow blades that are even up to 8 meters wide. During curative maintenance runs, the snow blade trucks usually work in pairs. This permits removing snow from as much of the road surface as possible in the shortest possible time.