Do not overtake salt spreaders, take a blanket when on the road

Autostrada Eksploatacja, the operator of the A2  Świecko – Konin concession motorway gathered over 13 thousand tons of salt in its warehouses prior to commencing the winter season. 41 salt spreaders are ready to take up winter maintenance operations. The full readiness status in all 5 Motorway Maintenance Centres will be in force as of 1 November. 

In compliance with the binding procedures the full readiness status means that not only the equipment, but also employees are ready for winter. Additional winter maintenance tour of duty was put in place in the operation department to take immediate action if need be. 100 employees are ready to take action every day. 

– 1^st winter maintenance level is binding on the motorways in Poland. This means that the equipment has to start for the motorway within half an hour from the moment snowfall commences. Snow must be removed from the motorway carriageway within 2 hours from the moment snowfall ends during the day, and within 4 hours at night – explains Włodzimierz Matczak, director of Motorway Operation in Autostrada Eksploatacja company. 

If it turns out that the gathered salt stock is not enough, additional intervention deliveries of salt to Autostrada Eksploatacja will be performed. The Company also ordered additional weather forecasts to compare them with readings from its own meteorological stations located along the Wielkopolska Motorway and with the information obtained from the patrol employees. The above information serve to enable salt spreaders to arrive at the motorway as quickly as possible. 

– For preventive and combatting campaigns in the motorway, instead of sand we use road salt with the aqueous solution of sodium chloride, and with calcium chloride if the temperature drops down below -7°C . Such mixture enables us to quickly remove snow from the carriageway. All these actions are taken to ensure maximum safety to persons traveling on Wielkopolska Motorway. However, drivers also have to help the maintenance services. How? By not overtaking the equipment operating in the road – advises Włodzimierz Matczak.

Overtaking salt spreaders involves a huge risk. Snow coming out from under ploughs may not only damage the car, but also push the drivers out from the road. Salt spreaders are equipped with ploughs of the span reaching 8 metres. In snow combating campaign, the equipment is usually driven in pairs. A salt spreader tandem is meant to remove snow from the largest possible part of the motorway in the shortest possible time. 

– Salt spreaders drive at a speed of up to 60 km/h. Therefore a part of drivers, despite  danger, take a risk and take over the equipment in operation. However, they should be aware that snow has not yet been removed from the road ahead of salt spredaers, and driving on a snow covered road may be dangerous – warns Paweł Pytliński, safety expert in Autostrada Eksploatacja. 

Appropriate maintenance of the road in winter season is extremely important. However, it is also crucial for the drivers to prepare their cars for driving in winter conditions. 

– Apart from winter tyres, windshield washer fluid adapted to low temperatures and full fuel tank, it is also important to have a blanket and a thermos with warm drink in a car. Even if we are stuck somewhere on the road in a snow storm, we are not threatened with hypothermia. In case of very intensive snowfall and very limited visibility, it is worth exiting to the nearest parking site, to wait until the weather improves – adds Paweł Pytliński.