Over 90 gritters and snow ploughs are on stand-by to keep the north-east’s roads clear this winter.
The winter service fleet will be on standby 24/7 to respond to ice or snow.
Private company Amey will be operating the north-east patch on behalf of Transport Scotland until May 15, 2023.
The north-east trunk road network covers some of Scotland’s major cities including Aberdeen, Perth and Dundee.
In total, over 368 miles of major roads, 93 miles of footpaths, and 485 bridges and structures will be monitored by the team in the coming months.
Salt and ‘innovative brine’ to be used
In addition to 35,000 tonnes of salt, Amey will be using 211,000 litres of salted brine water to deliver alternative treatments on roads and paths during the lowest temperatures.
They say his innovative liquid brine solution clears ice and snow more effectively.
The winter service fleet features 46 gritters and 46 snowploughs, as well as eight new footpath gritters, four fastracs and snow blowers, and 138 highways operatives.
Key goal: ‘prevention’
Tom Wallace, the company’s representative said: “One of our key goals is to put preventative measures in place to mitigate the difficult driving conditions that adverse weather causes.
“Our gritter drivers work unsociable hours in bad weather and face all kinds of challenges on the roads.
“But they do a tremendous job helping to keep Scotland’s trunk road network moving.
However, Amey has asked the public to help by checking weather conditions before setting off and looking out for other drivers on the roads.
Real-time information on accidents and road works can be found on Traffic Scotland’s website.
Conversation