From November 21st 2019 to March 31st 2020, the Winter Road Safety Plan will be active. It’s objective is to keep roads in the best possible conditions for drivers.
Madrid City Council activates this Winter Emergency Plan every year in the event of inclement weather. The statistical probability of snowfall is 5 days per year. For this reason, this plan includes various machinery available 24 hours before the inclement weather may occur.
- 5 snow ploughs . Each machine has a front blade with a cleaning width of 3.5 metres, a salt extender with a capacity of 6m3 and a brine tank with a 1,500 litre capacity.
- 6 salt and brine spreading vehicles which use six salt spreading cars and a van with a 1,000 litre brine spreading tank.
- Crane trucks and a backhoe for loading salt into the vehicles.
As the M-30 has 1,500,000 m2 of pavement between surfaces and ramps of the tunnels, a range of machinery is required to deal with any possible situation.
600 tons of salt, to be used on the icy M-30
There are two types of salt treatment for the roads:
- Preventative . Salt is only used when there is moisture on the pavement. If it is dry, salt with brine is used. These preventative treatments are performed before the snowfall or formation of ice sheets.
- Curative . Salt is only used for temperatures above -5º. If the temperature is lower, salt with calcium chloride is used. These curative treatments are performed after the snowfall or formation of ice sheets.
The plan boasts a total stock of 600 tons of salt, strategically distributed at various points. It also has two salt storage silos with a capacity of 100 tons each.
How and when is the Winter Road Plan activated?
There are different phases depending on the expected states of alert.
The Emergency level is communicated by the State Meteorological Agency to the Integral Security and Emergency Centre of Madrid, who will contact the Director General of Emergencies and Civil Protection, who in turn will inform all affected services. Finally, the Director of the Winter Road Plan of the Community of Madrid will be informed of the alert level.
Madrid City Council Environment, Safety and Mobility department states that 3 cm of snow in 24 hours is required for the implementation of the Winter Road Plan . In the case of lesser snowfall, treatments will be carried out in accordance with the expected conditions.
The states of alert are described below:
PHASE 1: PREALERT
- State 0: No snow or ice is forecast, however salt is collected and machinery is checked.
- State 1: There is a probability of snowfall or ice sheets. Salt and machinery is prepared so that it can be ready to act at a maximum of 1 hours notice.
- State 2: Both snowfall and frost are forecast. Water cleaning services are postponed and risk networks are cut. In this state of pre-alert, the salt is prepared in the trucks and the various machinery is checked. Preventive treatments are also carried out on the roads.
PHASE 2: ALERT
- State 3: From the beginning of snowfall until the end. There is equal amounts of snowfall and ice sheet formation. Water cleaning services and any risk networks remain postponed. In addition, salt is spread. Curative treatments are performed, eliminating snow accumulation on roads and pavements.
PHASE 3: STANDARDISATION
- State 4: After snowfall or ice sheet formation, treatments are carried out to eliminate snow and ice sheets that have formed. Drains are cleared and cleaned, water cleaning services and risk networks are reopened.
If snow or frost is forecast and you need to take the car, we advise you to check the state of the roads before leaving home. You can do this in real time on the M-30 Traffic page where we will notify you of any type of incident.
Photo: Panamitsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
