Dorset Highways is continuing its move towards a greener way of working, with a new winter gritting routine underway.
This year, a route-based forecasting system will be used to decide when and where to salt the gritting network – down to the exact routes needing treatment.
Route-based forecasting will more accurately consider local conditions. Using weather forecasting information from MeteoGroup, which includes data from the council’s 11 roadside weather stations, individual decisions will be made for each of the 22 routes in the Dorset Council area.
This significantly more targeted approach will reduce emissions from fewer lorry movements, it will use less rock salt, which is a finite resource, and it will save money by reducing the number of gritting runs needed.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “The road network we monitor and treat over the winter is not changing, but the way we make gritting decisions is.
“Previously, gritting routes were put into four ‘domains’ with an entire domain being treated following a forecast of low road surface temperatures anywhere in that area.
“We will now receive a forecast for each individual route; this route-based system would have saved 110 lorry movements, at least 880 tonnes of salt and £20,000 last winter.
“A route-based approach to gritting will also help us move towards dynamic spreading, where a variable spread-rate of salt can be used on the same route; bringing further environmental benefits and monetary savings.”
From 1 November to 31 March, Dorset Highways run a 24-hour on call rota to ensure roads can be gritted any time of day or night throughout the depths of winter, keeping drivers travelling safely.
Salt is stocked up ahead of the winter period, with 13,500 tonnes of salt stored across five highways depots, ready for the colder weather to arrive.
Roads included in the 22 main gritting routes are those used by the majority of the travelling public. They cover 684 miles and account for around 28 per cent of the Dorset Council road network.
Where prolonged cold weather is forecast, additional community routes are also treated to ensure more rural communities can continue to travel safely.
Dorset Highways carries out gritting on the A35 trunk road on behalf of Highways England. This can often be at different times to the Dorset Council network.
Stay up to date with our winter action.
In the interests of road safety, is there a map of the 22 routes referred to which motorists can use to establish which routes are covered by this system and should be gritted if weather conditions demand? Are other routes outside these routes not to be gritted at all?
Hi Robert, you can see a map of our gritting routes online: dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/gritting
It’s just not practical to grit every road in the Dorset Council area. Roads included in the 22 main gritting routes are those used by the majority of the travelling public.
All A, B and well-used C class roads are treated, as well as:
links to hospitals, large industrial estates, transport interchanges, emergency services (including manned Coastguard and RNLI) stations and identified critical infrastructure
routes to all urban schools with more than 500 pupils and rural schools with more than 350 pupils
primary bus routes with a substantial frequency (school bus routes are not included)
main routes (that don’t meet criteria above) through towns and villages with populations of more than 750
They cover 684 miles and account for around 28 per cent of the Dorset Council road network.