Durham looks ahead to winter with preparations already under way
Preparations for keeping roads in County Durham moving this winter are ‘well underway’, according to the council. It is making sure its fleet of gritters and winter maintenance vehicles are ready to go when needed. Durham’s winter maintenance team is making sure that salt barns across the county are stocked with 42,000 tonnes of salt […]
Nottinghamshire County Council stocks up for the winter ahead
Nottinghamshire County Council has already prepared for the winter ahead by stocking its salt barns with 18,000 tonnes of grit. This is nearly 7,000 tonnes more than the nationally-recommended amount and enough to carry out four gritting runs every day, for three weeks. The 2020-21 winter season saw 109 outings for the 30-strong fleet of […]
BEAR Scotland marks one year of managing South East Scotland’s trunk roads with 365 days of achievement
In the 356 days since BEAR Scotland took over responsibility for the trunk roads in South East Scotland, it has delivered over £26.7m of investment in safety, surfacing and other improvements and recruited over 100 new staff in addition to those who transferred from the previous operating companies. On 16 August 2020 BEAR Scotland began […]
Econ to expand its operation with the development of new engineering facility
Gritter manufacturer, Econ, is to expand its operation further with the development of a new £7m engineering facility near Thirsk and create 50 new jobs. The family owned-business, based in North Yorkshire has bought a 24-acre site at Sowerby, 11-miles from its headquarters in Ripon. When completed, this new North Yorkshire base – which will […]
Safecote launches Making Winter Cycling Safer campaign
Winter service solutions company Safecote, has launched a new Making Winter Cycling Safer campaign in conjunction with Team GB kit manufacturer KALAS Sportswear. Working with Kalas and a number of UK cycling groups/forums, the company aims to promote the benefits of ensuring that cycleways are fit and open for daily use during the winter season […]
Council to change winter gritting routes to match ‘best practice’
Cheshire East Council has confirmed that changes to gritting routes will be implemented next winter following a review. The ‘Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure’ (WMHI) code of practice, which is overseen by the UK Roads Liaison Group on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), recommended local highway authorities review gritting routes to prioritise the most critical parts […]
Transport Scotland searching for solution to ice forming on Queensferry Crossing
Transport Scotland has said it is struggling to find ways to stop ice forming on the deck of the Queensferry Crossing. It has said, according to a report in the Daily Record, that it has reviewed bridges across the world and found most operators simply close them and wait for ice to drop off. The […]
‘Back to Black’ ploughing should be adopted for better performance and safety on the network
More local authorities should be planning to plough ‘back to black’ on the road surface during snow events if they want to help deliver better performance and maintain safety on the network. These are the thoughts of Debbie Cavanagh, UK Sales Manager for Safecote who says that alternative plough blade technology, now available to councils, […]
Highways England considering new depot and salt barn to serve M62/A63
A new depot and salt barn to be situated in the East Yorkshire business park is being considered by Highways England so it can better serve the M62 and A63 corridor during the winter. Plans are being submitted to improve the critical winter service offered on the major trunk roads linking the city and port […]
Highways England’s 93 new gritters to make their debut this winter as Roads Minister reminds councils to be prepared
Roads Minister Baroness Vere has called upon local authorities across the country to ensure key transport routes to COVID-19 test centres are kept open and running smoothly this winter. Baroness Vere has written to councils urging them to ensure their supplies of salt and grit are topped up so that essential routes, such as those to hospitals and COVID-19 testing stations, are […]