Kimmins: We owe huge debt of gratitude to gritting teams
Date published:
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has thanked staff for the delivery of winter service.
Gritting teams have been out on the roads throughout the Christmas period and particularly during this current cold snap.
Minister Kimmins said:
“Staff across all our roads divisions have been working tirelessly day and night in some very difficult conditions, to keep traffic moving over the Christmas period and during this cold snap, which has seen particularly heavy snowfall in some parts of the North.
“We have 130 gritters available as well as twelve specialist snow blowers available to keep traffic moving safely on main routes. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those men and women as they are often the first traffic on many roads, leaving their own families behind to ensure we can travel safely.
“As this cold spell continues, we will continue to ensure that our main roads are salted and safe for the travelling public. Road safety is paramount throughout the year and particularly when the weather creates risks for road users so I would urge motorists to drive with caution, take the weather conditions into account and leave extra time for their journey.”
Notes to editors:
- The Department salts the main through routes which carry more than 1,500 vehicles per day. In exceptional circumstances, roads with difficult topography carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 vehicles daily will also be salted. This means that 28% of the road network will be salted, directly benefiting around 80% of road users.
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