Winter preparation for flooding, snow, and ice in Nottinghamshire costs £5.3m
A new report highlights the county council’s highways preparations for the winter of 2024-25.
According to the Highways Act of 1980, local authorities must maintain passable roads during winter conditions by clearing snow and ice from highways.
This winter service is provided by Nottinghamshire County Council, working with the company it owns VIA East Midlands Ltd., in compliance with national guidelines and the “Well Managed Highway Infrastructure” Code of Practice (2017).
A winter service is currently provided by the council that treats approximately 1,881 km of roads-35% of the highway network-as part of precautionary measures, which is within the national range of 24-38%.
As a result of this proactive approach, a comprehensive “Winter Service Plan” has been developed that details both operational and logistical initiatives that will be implemented in order to manage winter hazards.
West Bridgford Wire – West Bridgford Nottingham New
Nottinghamshire suffered widespread damage due to extreme flooding caused by Storm Babet and Storm Henk during the winter of 2023-24. A winter preparedness plan has been developed by Nottinghamshire County Council in response to the event.
Improved Operations and Coordination
This year, the Council integrated gritting and snow ploughing with other maintenance activities, such as road patching and inspections, as part of its approach.
As part of this “holistic” approach, roads are not just cleared of ice and snow, but also maintained to a high standard to prevent further weather damages.
A number of operations improvements have also been made in coordination with the neighbouring highway authorities and flood wardens in order to ensure that road closures during severe weather events are managed more effectively.
Now that updated agreements have been drafted, road closures and diversions can be handled more quickly and more efficiently.
To accelerate the gully cleansing operations, four additional external teams have been recruited, and routine cleaning cycles have been shortened from three years to two years in areas that are not flood-prone. In addition, over 25 ditch-cleaning and culvert-improvement schemes have been completed, with more to come before the winter arrives.
A total of 14 teams have been deployed to ensure that highway defects are repaired immediately and permanently by Via East Midlands Ltd. There will be two teams working on permanent in-lay patching over the winter period, totaling 25,000 square metres of road surface repair.
Several major structural patching projects targeting severely deteriorated areas will also be carried out. A total of 15,000 square meters of roads will be repaired under these large-scale projects.
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A total of 17,500 tonnes of salt has now been stocked at various council depots across the county to replenish the grit supply. A stock of this size exceeds the 10,000 tonnes needed for a typical winter, ensuring Nottinghamshire is well prepared for any situation.
As part of East Midlands’ gritting fleet, 31 vehicles, including three new vehicles purchased at the end of last year, will cover 23 routes across the county, with additional resources available as needed.
As a result of replacing key sensors on the A611 at Coxmoor Road, the Council will have access to accurate, real-time weather data to inform its decision-making. The purpose of this data is to determine when to deploy gritting operations and where they should be deployed.
As part of an effort to support local community resilience, districts and parish councils will again receive rock salt. The Council also strategically placed 1,410 grit bins throughout county, making it easier for residents to maintain local roads and pavements during icy conditions.
In locations where gritting trucks cannot reach, these bins provide grit and resources where they are needed most.
Through the use of social media and local media, a comprehensive communication strategy will be implemented to ensure that the public is kept informed. A “Severe Weather Booklet” will also be produced by the Council, providing residents with practical advice and relevant contact details in the event of severe weather.