The Subdelegation of the Government has analyzed in the Executive Committee of Winter Roads the Protocol on prevention, surveillance and actions on national roads and Sorian highways 2023-2034

• In order to avoid problems in the circulation as a result of snow, ice or other adverse weather phenomena

November 22, 2023.- According to the subdelegate of the Government in Soria, Miguel Latorre, at the coordination meeting of the troops that act in the cases of snowfall on the roads, "the Government of Spain has 51 snow-removing machines for the 559 kilometers of state ownership, which are working in full performance, whenever necessary, during this winter campaign."

Latorre considers that “the means available to the State in Soria are sufficient to guarantee, within the usual parameters of the Sorian winter, that our national roads and highways are passable”.

It is time to prepare all the mechanisms of response to adverse situations and deepen the so-called model of the three "ces": Coordination, Cooperation and Communication. The government’s deputy delegate said that “we are prepared for the arrival of the cold in terms of cleaning the roads of the General State Network and preventive treatments to avoid the formation of ice sheets.”

Through a Protocol on Prevention, Surveillance and Actions on National Roads and Sorian Highways, the Government Subdelegation coordinates all those who collaborate in the fight against the problems caused by the atmospheric conditions on State-owned roads: the Government Subdelegation itself, the Roads Unit, the Provincial Traffic Headquarters, Civil Protection, the State Security Forces and Bodies and the teams of the companies awarding the conservation of the different stretches of State-owned roads. In total, about 800 people.

This year we have 51 snowploughs (49 of thrust and 2 dynamics) in the province, to serve the 559 kilometers of state roads that are in Soria (in addition to 12 km. in La Rioja under his charge). Of this more than half a thousand kilometers, 145 km. They're from the highways.

The Protocol focuses on the A-2 motorway, the A-15 motorway (including the Ágreda variant), the SO-20 motorway (Los Rábanos-Soria), the open sections of the A-11 motorway (including the El Burgo de Osma variant) and the national roads SO-20, N-110, N-111, N-113, N-122, N-234 and N-II. The fact that most of the Sorian roads are located above 1,000 meters makes the appearance of ice and snow frequent, especially in the months of December, January and February.

CONSERVATION CENTERS

The Government of Spain has four road conservation centers in the province: one in the Northern Variant of Soria, another in Golmayo, another in Arcos de Jalón and one more in Almazán.

There are also other subcenters (foundress and garage stores) in Matalebreras, La Póveda, Cabrejas del Pinar, Medinaceli, Beltejar and Fuencaliente de Medinaceli. After the coordination meeting, one of these conservation centers has been visited, which is located in Golmayo, which belongs to the SO-2 conservation sector.

The message that Miguel Latorre has launched is that “the winter road device for the state roads, which was officially launched on November 1 and ends on April 30 (although, logically, climatic eventualities outside this period are also covered), is fully prepared and in progress. It’s about keeping our roads in the best possible conditions, especially when snow or ice complicates the situation.”

The State media also aims to ensure that the sections and periods with traffic restrictions and detentions are as few as possible and to provide timely care for people in the vehicles, when necessary. “In short,” said Latorre, “we want to avoid or solve as quickly as possible the problems caused by snowfall in Soria, such as road cuts.”

POINTS OF CONFLICT DUE TO SNOWFALL

The contentious points before snowfall are, on the N-2, the Cuesta de Esteras and the Alto de Lodares; on the A-15, Alto de Radona and Alto de Lubia; on the SO-20, the Alto de El Viso; on the N-110, the Altos de Fuentecambrón; on the N-111, the Altos de Radona, the Alto de El Viso and the southern access to the Tunnel of Piqueras; on the N-111a, the Puerto de Piqueroso; on the N-113, the Puerto de La La La La, the La La La, and La La La.

Citizens can consult the status of the network of carts through the web www.dgt.es, continuously updated by the Civil Guard.

The basic objectives of the plan of actions against snowfall are to establish the different actions that allow to guarantee the road in the maximum number of stretches of road; to reduce to a minimum the number of stretches affected by traffic restrictions or retentions and their duration, as well as to generate the operational chains aimed at ensuring the adequate information to users and agencies involved.

FOUR COMPANIES PLUS OWN MEANS

In terms of material resources, the Roads Unit of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) has its own mobile park in Soria, but, fundamentally, it has contracted with various companies the service of maintenance and conservation of national roads, framed within one of the four designed conservation sectors.

According to Miguel Latorre, “the Government of Spain has the aforementioned 51 snowploughs for the 559 kilometers of state ownership. In addition, the Junta also has its own machines for its thousand kilometers and the Diputación, its trucks with a wedge for a network of about 2,000 kilometers.”

Between MITMA and the companies, they provide the State’s equipment with a total of 49 thrust snowploughing machines with flux spreader and 2 dynamic snowploughing machines, as well as salt loaders such as backhoes and loader blades.

As for reservoirs and storage silos for fluxes such as salt or brine (a saline solution with which to prevent the formation of ice sheets), the State has ships and silos throughout the province to store about 10,000 (9,720) tons of solid salt. These deposits and silos are strategically distributed on the state-owned roads in the province. There are also brine manufacturing plants and storage tanks, with capacity for more than 500,000 (505,000) liters.

WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEM AND ALERTS

The State Road Network is affected during certain periods by adverse weather phenomena, in particular snowfall, which may compromise its road conditions. To prevent this, it is necessary to have an adequate system of prediction and meteorological information that allows to anticipate, in sufficient time, the occurrence of these phenomena that can negatively affect the road. This role is what, according to its competences, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has been carrying out with its National Plan for Prediction and Monitoring of Adverse Meteorology.

The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), in addition to national, regional and provincial forecasting bulletins, provides meteorological information in accordance with the National Plan for Prediction and Monitoring of Adverse Meteorological Phenomena (Meteoalert).

In accordance with this plan, AEMET periodically issues bulletins in which meteorological information is systematized and classified, according to pre-established thresholds, according to the following color code:

• Red level: The meteorological risk is extreme (unusual meteorological phenomena, of exceptional intensity and with a very high level of risk for the population).
• Orange level: There is a significant meteorological risk (unusual meteorological phenomena and with some degree of danger to the usual activities).
• Yellow level: There is no risk for the population in general, although for some specific activity. They are predictions that do not exceed the danger thresholds, but for which it is advisable to monitor their evolution.

BE INFORMED

Especially during the winter months, the most prudent thing is to follow the indications given by Civil Protection, the AEMET and the DGT. To do this, the citizens have, among other means, the telephone 011, the web infocar.dgt.es, the free application of the DGT, a twitter account (@informacionDGT) and the Instagram account @gtes.

In turn, the citizen can also consult the updated information on the social networks of the Autonomous Administration, Twitter (@112cyl) and Facebook (Emergency Center Castilla y León 112), which are accessible from the website of 1-1-2 https://112.jcyl.es.