Also in Hausham: 24,000 tons of road salt from the Rosenheim State Building Authority
Created: 11/25/2022, 11:12 am
By: Sandra Hefft
The streets will soon have to be cleared of snow again.
© State Building Authority Rosenheim
County – It gets pretty cold at night.
That is why the road maintenance service of the Rosenheim State Building Authority is in the starting blocks.
The salt halls in Hausham, Rosenheim, Ampfing, Ebersberg and Wasserburg are well filled with around 24,000 tons of road salt.
“Even with an above-average winter, experience has shown that the amount is sufficient.
And if things do get tight, supplies can be ordered at short notice from the central office,” says Axel Reinicke, who is responsible for the road maintenance service at the Rosenheim State Building Authority.
In total, the Rosenheim State Building Authority looks after around 1,300 kilometers of federal, state and district roads in Rosenheim, Miesbach, Mühldorf and Ebersberg.
With 54 own and rented vehicles, the four road maintenance depots ensure that the streets, but also the footpaths and cycle paths are free of snow and, thanks to the automatic spreaders, are not icy and slippery.
It is important to have a reliable weather forecast as early as possible and the road weather stations that provide the current information.
"For the weather forecasts, the weather radar images and the road condition and weather forecasts of the German Weather Service are available to the road maintenance departments," says Reinicke.
"The road weather stations - there are 15 in the service area - supplement the forecasts with current data, such as road temperature, precipitation and salt concentration on the road."
The order of clearance depends on the importance of the street for the traffic network
The order in which the roads are cleared and where the gritting is carried out first depends on the importance of the road for the traffic network.
This is precisely defined in deployment routes and schedules.
“Federal and state roads with above-average loads should always remain free of snow and ice.
Here, the clearing and gritting vehicles are also in use around the clock if necessary,” explains the office.
“The rest of the road network is kept in a passable condition between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
For this, the first clearing vehicles move out at around 4 a.m..”
Whereby "spread" doesn't really apply.
Rather, it is a combination of sprinkling and spraying.
"The dry de-icing salt is moistened in the vehicle with a salt solution, the brine, immediately before it is applied," explains Reinicke.
“The vehicles are equipped with special wet salt spreaders for this purpose.
Moistening ensures that the salt immediately adheres to the road surface and can take effect.” This reduces the amount of salt required, is more economical and protects the environment.
However, the brine can only be applied down to minus 7 degrees Celsius.
However, even the best winter service cannot guarantee that all roads are free of snow and ice at all times.
That's why drivers are also challenged, explains the Rosenheim State Building Authority: "Put on the winter tires in good time, check the tread depth and always completely clear the windows of snow and ice before driving off!" But the driving style must also suit the winter weather, As Axel Reinicke pointed out: "Slippery roads, leftover snow, drifts or even a solid blanket of snow: you simply have to reckon with that in winter here with us."
"So drive carefully, plan a little more time and watch out for the slower-moving clearing and gritting vehicles," explains Reinicke, adding: "If everyone is a bit considerate, that's half the battle.
And then there's always us!” she