Flintshire to Clear and Grit 400 Miles of Roads as Winter Approaches

FLINTSHIRE is set to clear and grit over 400 miles of roads as temperatures continue to drop this winter.
The county has a policy in place maintaining ‘Priority 1’ routes during severe weather, which are defined as roads “carrying substantial volumes of traffic” and make up around 45% of the road network in Flintshire.
When ice is predicted Priority 1 routes will be pre-salted before the on-set of frost. Where severe conditions such as snow or ice persist resources will remain on Priority 1 routes.
Chief officer for Streetscene and Transportation, Katie Wilby, said: “Winter service operations play a fundamental role in ensuring that highway networks are safe and available during adverse weather conditions from around October through to April each year.
“During periods of severe weather, such as snow and ice, we grit and clear snow from in excess of 414 miles of Priority 1 roads across Flintshire. Priority 1 roads are roads carrying substantial volumes of traffic in line with our policy for Winter Maintenance and account for 45% of the total county road network in Flintshire.
“All Priority 1 routes will be subject to precautionary gritting operations throughout the winter period with a decision taken following receipt of the daily forecast from our weather forecasting provider. The level of actions will be dictated by the available resources and the weather forecast outlook.”
Other roads can be classed as ‘Priority 2’ routes, which are made up from the unclassified roads that form main distributor routes in both the urban and rural areas.
These could be housing estate roads or access routes in between smaller rural communities and will only be treated if severe weather conditions persist and the Priority 1 routes have been completed.

By Emily Ash – Local Democracy Reporter