1,900 tonnes of salt are currently available for clearing and gritting duties on the roads in the Börde district. A tour covers an average of 50 kilometres (shortest tour: 45 kilometres, longest tour: 55 kilometres). There are also 2 small equipment carriers for clearing junctions or cycle paths. The management service is responsible for monitoring the weather and managing operations in order to ensure that the clearing work starts on time. The management service looks at the weather forecast for the following night/day in the morning and afternoon and decides where to carry out winter maintenance work. The advantage of this is that several weather forecast sources can be used and information is therefore constantly updated.
Winter road maintenance is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Trunk Road Act and the Road Act of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The winter service is organised in such a way as to ensure that the roads are passable to the best of our ability from Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 22:00. For the crews of the winter service vehicles, this means that work on the winter service vehicle is carried out on weekdays from 03:00 to 22:00 and at weekends from 04:00 to 22:00 in early and late shifts. In icy conditions, four hours of work can be expected; if there is also snow, around six hours are scheduled for clearing and gritting work. In an average winter, the road maintenance team covers around 40,000 kilometres of gritting.
"The system is very flexible and the team is well-rehearsed. It is important to adapt and react to the weather conditions," emphasises Frank Holzheuer, Head of Road Maintenance in the Börde district. "In the event of heavy snowfall, the district roads are also worked on in two shifts, but generally always in the early hours of the morning," adds Norman Illgas, technician at the district road maintenance centre.
On average, the district of Börde incurs costs of around 400,000 euros per year for winter road maintenance. These costs can increase significantly during prolonged winter weather. In winter 2023/2024, the costs were slightly lower than in winter 2022/2023, with a total of €187,000 in expenses for services, €155,000 for materials and €38,000 for storage and maintenance costs. A total of 1,410 tonnes of salt and 206 tonnes of brine were used last winter.
The road maintenance depot mainly uses FS 30 pre-wetted salt technology: Immediately before spreading, the solid road salt is mixed with a salt solution (brine) on the spreading disc. The mixing ratio is 70 per cent dry salt and 30 per cent brine. Sodium chloride, i.e. normal table salt, is used for the brine. The advantage of pre-wetted salt is that it can be easily dosed and distributed and there is less wastage than with dry salt.
"The experience and skills of the personnel involved are always indispensable, without which even the best technology cannot be used effectively," emphasises department head Dr Denis Gruber. Even with the best preparation and an early start to the operation, it cannot be ruled out that a closed snow cover can be expected during prolonged snowfall. There is also always the possibility of icy and slippery conditions in places. If the snowfall only starts during rush hour, it is a particular challenge to clear the carriageways for moving traffic. This is because the moving traffic drives the snow onto the carriageway. It is also difficult for the snow clearing vehicles to get through. There is therefore no guarantee that drivers will be able to drive freely, explains department head Gruber. "All road users should exercise caution in snow and ice. Driving at a speed appropriate to the road conditions reduces the risk of accidents. Vehicles that are not adequately equipped for winter also repeatedly cause obstructions."