The delegate of the Government in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, presided this morning at the signing of the Protocol for which the Winter Plan is activated in the State Road Network in Galicia for the 2024-2025 campaign, an act in which he took advantage to highlight the effort of the Government to guarantee mobility during the winter in the more than 2,500 kilometers of state-owned roads in the community.
The purpose of this protocol is to establish the organization and procedures of action of the services, means and resources of the General Administration of the State available at the level of the Autonomous Community of Galicia and that, in the face of the prediction of precipitation in the form of snow or other extreme weather situations, it is necessary to mobilize to ensure the correct circulation in the State Road Network, reducing as much as possible the number of sections with traffic restrictions and avoiding the retention of vehicles or, where appropriate, minimizing their duration in the face of adverse weather phenomena.
For this operation, which runs until April 30, 2025, Pedro Blanco announced that the Government has 104 snow-removing machines, 19,914 tons of salt and 3,257,000 liters of brine. The amount of salt and brine correspond to the initial provisions and the measure that advances the campaign will be replenished.
With regard to human resources, the delegate reported the mobilization of 309 people (drivers, technicians and operators) to guarantee the road traffic and its conservation. They will be joined, when necessary, by the 900 agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard and the staff of the General Directorate of Traffic in the Community.
As in previous years, the protocol establishes a device to guarantee security in the area affected by the works in the Castro viaduct, in the La6, as it passes through Pedrafita. In this regard, Pedro Blanco stressed that the Government decided to maintain the reinforcement of 3 snowploughs in the area that add to the usual means of the Pedrafita Conservation Center. In addition, he insisted that the Government works with the expectation that before the end of the year, the entire road will be restored.
At the same time, collaboration is maintained with the State Meteorological Agency in the monitoring of adverse meteorological episodes. Through this cooperation, the people responsible for the device will be able to have real-time data on the evolution of predictions to be able to make operational decisions more quickly and effectively.
This morning’s meeting, in addition to the government delegate, was attended by the Chief General of the XV area of the Civil Guard, Miguel Ángel González Arias, the Lieutenant Colonel Chief of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard of Galicia, Antonio Hidalgo, the Provincial Traffic Chief of A Coruña and Coordinator of the DGT in Galicia, María Victoria Gómez and the Head of the State Road Demarcation in Galicia, Ángel González del Río.
Scope of action
The scope of action of this protocol covers the more than 2,500 km that make up the State Road Network in Galicia adding motorways (AP-9 and AP-53), motorways and conventional roads. The document specifies the procedures for action and coordination that will be implemented in the face of an adverse weather forecast and during its development, with the definition of the particular mechanisms of each phase of this: alert, pre-emergency and emergency. The mechanisms of information, coordination and cooperation with the bodies and authorities of the Xunta de Galicia and the different local administrations are also specified.
In addition, the Plan determines the stretches of roads that may be more contentious in the event of snowfall, the Advanced Command Posts that will be established; the areas for parking heavy and light vehicles, in cases of closure or traffic restrictions, and the Conservation and Exploitation Centers where snowploughing machines and other equipment are located.
Finally, this operation is framed and based on the Protocol for the Coordination of Actions of the Organs of the General Administration of the State, in the event of snowfall and other extreme weather situations that may affect the State Road Network, which establishes the general guidelines for developing cooperation mechanisms between all administrations.