Winter maintenance

Although not all drivers in Poland have yet fitted winter tyres to their cars, the salt spreaders at the Motorway Maintenance Districts in Sługocin and Kotów, located along the Autostrada Wielkopolska, have already carried out their first winter maintenance operations.

Since the beginning of November, 41 salt spreaders have been on full standby, ready to take immediate action, 200 staff from the Autostrada Eksploatacja – the concession operator of the A2 motorway section between Świecko and Konin – and over 12,000 tonnes of salt, stored in six warehouses located along the Autostrada Wielkopolska.

Towards the end of last week, we were already carrying out operations on the Konin–Poznań section. Although we hope this winter will be milder than last year’s, we are prepared, both in terms of equipment and personnel, to carry out operations even in difficult weather conditions,” – says Wojciech Martynów, Motorway Operations Director at Autostrada Eksploatacja.

In addition to the equipment and personnel ready to take immediate action, Autostrada Eksploatacja is supported by additional, detailed weather forecasts it has commissioned, so that it can compare them on an ongoing basis with readings from its own weather stations, located along the entire 256 km stretch of the Autostrada Wielkopolska, and with information obtained from road patrols. All this is to ensure that, if necessary, gritting lorries can be deployed onto the motorway as quickly as possible.

The first level of winter maintenance is in force on motorways in Poland. This means that equipment must be deployed onto the road within half an hour of snowfall beginning. During the day, the motorway carriageway must be cleared of snow within 2 hours of snowfall ceasing, and within 4 hours of snowfall ceasing at night. This is why it is so important to ensure that crews are on standby with equipment ready for operation.

For preventative and snow-clearing operations on motorways, we use road salt in the form of an aqueous sodium chloride solution, and at temperatures falling below -7°C, calcium chloride. This mixture allows us to quickly clear snow from the carriageway. All this is to ensure maximum safety for those travelling on the Wielkopolska Motorway. Should it transpire that the salt stockpiled in our warehouses is insufficient, additional emergency salt deliveries will be arranged for the Motorway Operator – adds W. Martynów

To carry out winter maintenance operations efficiently, salt spreaders often travel along the motorway in pairs. This is to clear as much of the motorway as possible in the shortest possible time. Cooperation with drivers is vital to ensure that salt spreader operators can carry out their work safely. Drivers can assist the maintenance teams by not overtaking machinery working on the road, following the rule: Notice ➡️ React ➡️ Slow down. Overtaking gritting lorries is very risky. Snow thrown up by the ploughs can not only damage a car but also force the driver off the road. The ploughs fitted to snow-clearing vehicles can have a span of up to 8 metres. During snow-clearing operations, the machinery usually operates in pairs.

Snow-clearing vehicles travel at speeds of up to 60 km/h. That is why some drivers, despite the danger, take the risk and overtake the vehicles whilst they are working. However, you must be aware that the road ahead of the snow-clearing vehicle has not yet been cleared of snow and driving on it can be dangerous – warns Wojciech Martynów.

What else is worth bearing in mind? Don’t leave changing to winter tyres until the last minute; switch to winter windscreen washer fluid; keep a warm blanket in the boot; and when setting off, take a thermos flask with a hot drink with you. During very heavy snowfall and when visibility is severely reduced, it’s also worth considering pulling over to the nearest car park to wait safely until the weather improves before continuing your journey.