The Government of Spain has 451 snowploughs in Castilla y León to face the winter season in the 5,600 kilometers of the State Road Network

• Virginia Barcones points out that the General Administration of the State is prepared to “act immediately” in the face of snowfall or extreme weather events that affect road conditions • The objective of the Winter Road Plan is to “avoid or minimize the number of sections with traffic restrictions” and also to ensure “attention to the people who occupy the vehicles” when circumstances make it necessary • The device has more than 3,000 troops, 265 tanks and silos to store 88,000 tons of salt as well as tanks to store more than five million liters of brine

November 16, 2023.- The delegate of the Government in Castilla y León, Virginia Barcones, has presided in Ávila the Commission of Coordination of the Winter Road Plan 2023-2024. This plan will have a wide range of human and mechanical means to deal with snow and other extreme weather phenomena that may affect the Road Network of the State of Castilla y León. The device has 451 snow-removing machines to cover 5,600 kilometers of the State Highway Network and more than 3,000 troops.

The Coordination Committee of the Winter Road Plan in Castilla y León is chaired by the Government delegate and is composed of the new subdelegates of the Government, the two heads of the Road Demarcations of Castilla y León (Western and Eastern), Civil Guard, General Directorate of Traffic, National Police Force, State Civil Protection, State Meteorology Agency and the Military Emergency Unit.

During the meeting, the protocol of the Government Delegation in Castilla y León was analyzed as well as the coordination of the bodies of the General Administration of the State meteorological situations.

It is a protocol in which the personnel and means of the General State Administration (AGE) take part. A protocol in which collaboration and coordination with the Junta de Castilla y León, the provincial councils and the municipalities as well as with neighboring autonomous communities is essential and fundamental. “This coordination is necessary for a correct implementation of the road plan whose final beneficiaries are the users of our roads,” said Virginia Barcones.

The Government delegate explained that the General Administration of the State is prepared to “act immediately” in the face of snowfall or extreme weather phenomena that affect the conditions of the state of the roads. The final objective is that, in the face of this type of phenomenon, decisions are taken “immediately” and thus “avoid or reduce to the maximum” the number of sections with traffic restrictions or retentions as well as their duration. “Of course, to ensure the attention of the people who occupy the vehicles when the circumstances make it necessary,” said Barcones.

With the instructions contained in the protocol, an attempt is first made to prevent the formation of ice sheets on the roadways when frost is expected. In case of snowfall, quickly and effectively remove the snow to minimize disturbances to vehicle traffic. And also, inform road users of any incident sufficiently in advance.

The winter road campaign will be in force until April 30, 2024. However, the teams are ready in case, once that date has passed, there is an episode in which their intervention is necessary. “We all know that weather is becoming a bit irregular due to climate change and as a result extreme weather events are becoming more common at any time,” said the delegate.

WIDE RANGE OF RESOURCES

More than 5,600 kilometers of state-owned roads run through Castilla y León, of which 2,400 are motorways and highways and 3,200 are conventional roads. Throughout the year, maintenance and conservation work is carried out on the roads of the State with the aim of finding them in the best possible conditions.

The delegate of the Government has pointed out that more than 3,000 professionals, coming from different departments and with diverse functions, will work in the correct development of the Road Plan 2023-2024 when “the conditions require it”.

In this regard, he explained that this is an estimate, because there can be many more. For example, any of the 7,000 civil guards in Castilla y León or the 3,000 national police officers. Or even the EMU’s 3,500 military personnel who support and complement each other. In the BIEM V, based in León, there are 500 troops. “This is an estimate for the number of troops, there can be many more if necessary. The capacity for adaptation and mobilization that, if necessary, both the Civil Guard and the UME possess is well known. They have demonstrated this on many occasions,” said the delegate.

With specific figures, there are 1,250 people attached to the Western and Eastern Roads demarcations, in addition to those of the companies that have been awarded the conservation tasks of the different sectors in which the autonomous community is divided.

There are also 1,300 agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Traffic Guard and the 500 troops that the UME in the Fifth Emergency Intervention Battalion of León.

To all these people must be added the 150 that form the Executive Committees of Emergencies and those that work in the Traffic Control Center of the DGT and in the State Agency of Meteorology.

Virginia Barcones has recognized the importance of having a professional and committed human capital to alleviate the effects of snow. He also stressed that it is essential to provide this human capital with the best possible tools.

In this regard, he explained that the Winter Road Plan has 451 snow-removing machines. “We have the capacity to store 88,000 tons of solid salt in the 265 deposits and silos distributed in strategic points of our road network,” he added. Likewise, 74 plants are available to manufacture this mixture of salt and water, the brine, which prevents the formation of ice plates, and 72 tanks with capacity to store 5.3 million liters of that product. The Directorate General of Traffic also has 73 meteorological stations that join the 93 automatic stations and the 245 manual stations that AEMET has to try to predict the weather and collect data of meteorological phenomena.

To these technical means, we must add those of the Traffic Management Center of Castilla y León, which controls the roads of the Community 24 hours a day 365 of the year thanks to a closed television circuit composed of 105 cameras, 148 panels of variable messages and more than 800 traffic detectors. “The work carried out by the Traffic Management Center in Castilla y León is always important and that work becomes especially important in situations of adverse weather conditions,” said the delegate.

The presentation of the Winter Road Plan took place at the Road Conservation Center of Ávila. In this province, the Highway Unit will have 24 permanent snow blowers, three reservoirs and 17 silos for fluxes with capacity for 3,170 tons, and three plants with capacity to manufacture and store 165,000 liters of brine. If you add support elements from neighbouring provinces, the province of Ávila will have up to 40 snow-blowers, six tanks and 19 silos with capacity for 4,550 tons of salt and six plants for the storage of brine with capacity for 254,000 liters of this mixture of salt and water.

On the other hand, in order to facilitate and make more operational the establishment of traffic restrictions and avoid situations of pocketing, Castilla y León has 541 spaces for parking vehicles. There are 53 in Ávila, 119 in Burgos, 76 in León, 21 in Palencia, 70 in Salamanca, 63 in Segovia, 33 in Soria, 39 in Valladolid and 67 in Zamora. They will be able to park in an orderly manner the vehicles that have restricted their circulation temporarily in snowy situations.

CITIZEN COLLABORATION

With these numbers in hand, Virginia Barcones has pointed out that citizens must know that the Government of Spain has “sufficient human and material resources to try to mitigate the possible negative effects that snow and other adverse weather phenomena have on traffic.”

The delegate added that, despite all these material and human resources, and despite the “willingness and commitment to ensure that there are no inconveniences on the roads”, they sometimes occur. In situations of intense snowfall, extreme weather events, we must adopt measures such as requiring the use of chains, recommending traffic on certain routes and even prohibiting traffic on certain stretches. Faced with such circumstances, if they were to happen, he has asked the citizens for “understanding and collaboration.”

In this regard, he reminded citizens of the importance of being attentive to “official” information, and especially to the newsletters offered by the State Meteorological Agency or the General Directorate of Traffic through the social network X (formerly Twitter). Also through the phone 011, the web inforcar.dgt.es or the application of the DGT. It has not overlooked the important role played by the media in disseminating the information offered by AEMET and the DGT on meteorological phenomena and how they affect the road network. “It is very important to keep the public well informed about the weather forecasts and the state of the roads at all times. Especially when, in the face of extreme weather events, road conditions can change in a very short period of time,” said the delegate.

PROTOCOL PHASES

The Protocol of the Delegation of the Government in Castilla y León for the ‘Coordination of actions of the organs of the General Administration of the State before snowfall and other extreme weather situations that may affect the Network of Roads of the State in Castilla y León’ establishes that an alert, pre-emergency or emergency phase may be declared according to the weather conditions and the state of the road. Each phase has an intensity of response, of action on the part of the Government of Spain. They are as follows:

• The warning phase will be declared when the AEMET issues warning bulletins for snowfall with red or orange levels, or yellow for snowfall in those areas corresponding to the provincial capitals or municipalities of more than 20,000 inhabitants, as well as when advised by the assessment of the specific circumstances that concur (place, time, day of the week, etc. ).

The mere fact of activating this phase means that the Roads units mobilize their media in the area in which it is activated. Specifically, the salt spreaders and fluxes, and the snow-removing machines. It also means that the Civil Guard deploys its Traffic Personnel, as well as the preparation of the equipment of the Traffic Management Center (CGT) at the points of diversion to pocketing areas. It also assumes that the necessary provisions are made in case the Executive Committee is to be brought together.

• The pre-emergency phase will be declared when the intensity of the snowfall makes it possible to foresee difficulties for the circulation or the falling snow on the road, the ice or any other circumstance effectively hinders the circulation in some section of the State Road Network.

It involves, among other measures, the permanent establishment of the Operational Coordination Centre of the Government Delegation and that of the Government subdelegations involved, establishing the Advanced Command Posts associated with the sections of the State Road Network that, due to their situation, require it, with provision for support by the Civil Guard Command Forces.

In addition, it may entail the establishment and cessation, where appropriate, of restrictions on normal driving conditions, such as circulation with chains, or the prohibition of circulation or restriction for heavy vehicles.

If the situation requires it, it will be possible to increase the deployment of effects of the Civil Guard to intensify the control points and the restrictive measures to the circulation, and mobilize cranes to remove immobilized vehicles that hinder the actions. In case of need, the intervention of the EMU could be requested.

When it becomes necessary to pay attention to persons who have been blocked or detained and are unable to continue their journey by their own means, the emergency phase shall be declared. In such cases, the signature between the Government Delegation in Castilla y León and the Ministry of Development and Environment of the Regional Government of Castilla y León of the ‘Protocol for the Management of the Care of Persons Blocked or Detained on Roads in Castilla y León in the Face of a Declared Emergency Situation due to Adverse Weather Phenomena’ must be highlighted, which means an agile, simple and coordinated system to be able to assist persons who are blocked or detained in emergency situations.

On the other hand, the risk levels established by the DGT are the following:

• Green Level. It begins to snow. It asks for prudence and to be attentive to the meteorological part.
• Yellow Level. There is snow on the driveway. Little covered. It is requested to circulate with caution and the transit to trucks and articulates is prohibited.
• Red Level. The driveway is completely covered with snow. Passenger cars with special chains or tyres can only be driven. It is forbidden to drive to trucks, articulates and buses.
• Black Level. The road is impassable (very thick) and traffic is prohibited. Closed to traffic.