Cantabria will have 46 snow-removing machines and 16,110 tons of flux to keep the roads clean during the snow storms that may occur in the coming months, according to the Protocol of Coordination of Actions of the Organs of the General Administration of the State before snowfall and other extreme weather situations that may affect the State Road Network in Cantabria.
The Government delegate in Cantabria, Ainoa Quiñones, chaired on Tuesday the Winter Road Commission in which the annual protocol has been approved.
Quiñones highlighted “the experience we have in Cantabria to tackle the road in winter” and the “great work” that is carried out “thanks to the coordination and cooperation between all the administrations and public bodies involved, with special mention to the work carried out at the foot of the road by the traffic agents of the Civil Guard”.
During the meeting, it has been agreed, as in recent years, to arrange meetings with the competent bodies in the Autonomous Communities and neighboring provinces to establish coordination criteria in conflict points of the Road Network of Cantabria.
According to this protocol, the State Road Demarcation in Cantabria will have 46 snow removal machines (42 thrust and 4 dynamics), 16,110 tons of fluxes stored in tanks and 2,860 tons in the 33 silos, in addition to 822,000 liters of brine in 14 tanks and 16 production plants, as well as 6 brine sprayers in viaducts to counteract the effects of the storms in the following ways: A-67, A-8, S-10, S-20 and S-30. This material will also be used on the following conventional roads: N-611, N-621, N-623, N-629, N-634, N-635 and N-636.
In total, the device, which is already in place, will operate on 256 kilometers of motorways and 343 kilometers of conventional roads.
Regarding the human resources, around 130 people from the Road Demarcation, in close collaboration with the Provincial Traffic Headquarters, the Civil Guard and the Traffic Management Centers North (based in Valladolid) and Northwest-Cantabrian (based in A Coruña), will work in the operation.
The General Administration of the State, the AEMET, which is responsible for providing weather warnings in alert situations, and the Civil Protection and Emergency Unit of the Government Delegation will also work on it. The regional government includes the Directorates-General for the Interior and Public Works.
VIDEO CAMERAS AND LIGHT PANELS
Quiñones has recalled the existence of five video cameras in various kilometric points of the A-67, between Reinosa and Aguilar de Campoo, in order to know, in real time, the state of the roads and traffic. Of these, three are in our Autonomous Community.
The images captured by these cameras are sent to the Traffic Management Centers to help the General Traffic Directorate (DGT) and the Civil Guard make decisions.
In the case of Cantabria, the chambers are installed at kilometric points 121,700 (south slope of Pozazal), 129,300 (north slope of Pozazal and south entrance to Reinosa) and 137,950 (north entrance of Reinosa).
In addition to these cameras, there are light panels on the A-67, the N-611 and the N-629, which inform in real time of possible traffic incidents.
During the meeting, the Traffic Headquarters has reported that there are also two portable variable messaging panels, which can be installed to strengthen the signaling of meteorological incidents in the circulation of traffic on the A-67, at those points where it is necessary to inform the affected drivers.
RAIL TRANSPORT
In addition to the protocol on roads, the meeting addressed the protocols available to ADIF and Renfe to deal with adverse weather situations, especially on the line that joins the Plateau and the section of the Madrid-León line that runs through the south of Cantabria.
To guarantee rail transport, there is a variety of machinery, including diesel traction machines to assist passenger trains, ice removal machines and exploration machines for cleaning tasks. In addition, salt bags are available to maintain the accessibility of users to railway stations.
CITIZEN AWARENESS
The assistants to the Commission have insisted on raising public awareness about the use of winter tyres and chains and, in this regard, they advise drivers to be warned and anticipate the arrival of cold and snowfall, as well as to consult weather forecasts and the state of the roads when they go to make any trip.
In this regard, it has been recalled on the A-67 motorway in which, having successive tunnels, the General Directorate of Traffic establishes by protocol that the passage to vehicles with chains is not allowed, but only to those carrying winter tyres.