Following on from a number of road accidents which have taken place in recent days in Co.Wexford, which was unfortunately replicated across the country due to icy road conditions, Wexford County Council have provided WexfordToday with a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the gritting process.

Mr Eamonn Hore, who is the Director of Services, Roads, Transportation, Water Services, Health & Safety for the New Ross Municipal District provided the informative and detailed account:

“There is a duty engineer assigned to monitor the Vaisala Weather Prediction System seven days per week during the winter period mid October through to the end of April. This is a very accurate frost/ice prediction system and the duty engineer makes the call for road treatment based on the most up to date information. The best and most effective time to treat the roads is just prior to ice/frost formation. This level of precise information is available to us using the Weather Prediction System. So far this year our rock salt spreader trucks have been out on over 30 separate nights/early mornings in line with ice forecasts.“

Mr Hore also outlined what plant and machinery were available for use:

“Currently the winter maintenance plant and machinery consists of five dedicated trucks with calibrated salt spreaders and one standby truck. Each truck has a six cubic meter / 10 tonne salt capacity. There are five separate routes which are treated each and every time there is a warranted ice/frost forecast. The plan is reviewed each year and we are currently examining the acquisition of larger trucks with a vastly increased carrying capacity and/or adding an additional truck and spreader to enable an additional route to be treated. If this proves feasible then additional roads could be incorporated into the next Winter Maintenance Plan.“

In addition to the 380km of road treated by the county council, there is a further 78km of motorway and bypasses treated by contractors for BAM and Indium.

Due to the number of accidents on the morning of January 4th, we asked for an outline of what action had been taken the night before:

1)       All five truck gritting / salting units were operational the night of 3^rd / 4^th January. All the routes outlined above were treated along with the motorway sections as also outlined.

2)       Based on the best information from our weather stations ice prediction system the truck gritting units were mobilized for a 10.30pm start on the night of the 3^rd January, working through until just after 01.00am on the night / morning of 4^th January.

3)       Unfortunately and unexpectedly there were significant localized rain showers later that night in the New Ross District post the gritting / salting operations caused serious problems for the road systems leading to washout of gritting and refreezing. These localized showers were not forecast and were specific to the general New Ross District.

4) Following phone calls to our 24 hour emergency phone system in relation to the ‘new’ ice conditions in the New Ross District, three units were again immediately mobilized at 7.30am on 4^th January;  loaded and prepared with fresh stocks of salt grit and dispatched to re-treat the New Ross District Routes including the busy Duncannon Line.

Wexford County Council also highlighted that gritting / salting has been carried out on all the priority roads listed on over 30 occasions this winter period so far, including every night of Sunday 27^th December, Monday 28^th December, Tuesday 29^th December, Wednesday 30^th December, Thursday 31^st December, Friday 1^st January, 2021, Saturday 2^nd January, Sunday 3^rd  January, Monday 4^th January.

Mr Hore concluded:

Wexford County Council will again be salting tonight, 5^th January at 17.00 and in the morning, 6^th January at 04.30, resulting from the latest information on our ice prediction weather system.

The obvious advice is to take care on the roads and to avoid unnecessary journeys.

The Wexford County Council emergency contact number is 1890 666 777