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Salting roads
Which roads are salted in Medway?
- All A and B class roads
- Regular service bus routes
- Other busy routes
- Danger spots
If severe icing is expected or snow has fallen, other roads
beyond the main routes are salted on a priority basis. The Head of
Highways decides which other roads should be salted. If you would
like to know if your road is included, you can download a
map showing primary and secondary salting routes in your
area of Medway. Select from the following list:
Generally no other roads will be salted, except where they are
impassable due to severe snow conditions, or during prolonged icy
spells.
How are the roads salted?
The council's contractor supplies all equipment and labour,
using eight winter service vehicles to complete a salting run
covering the primary routes. It takes a maximum of two hours to
salt all of the primary routes. Under emergency conditions, the
vehicles can be mobilised within one hour.
Rock salt is used, which has been crushed down to a 6mm size.
This is dissolved by moisture on the road surface and lowers the
freezing point. The action of traffic helps this process to take
place. However, in certain circumstances, salting will not prevent
ice or frost forming. This is usually when roads are very wet and
the salt becomes diluted. The amount of salt put down and the
frequency of salting can be increased but even this may not prevent
icy patches.
Motorway salting
Motorway salting is carried out by the Highways Agency, not
Medway Council. For more information and to contact the
Highways Agency visit http://www.highways.gov.uk/
Salt bins
Salt is provided in salt bins at potentially hazardous places,
such as steep hills or sharp bends, where there is a specific
source of danger to road users and pedestrians and where loss of
control is likely to cause serious injury. The public can use the
salt to treat ice and snow on small areas of the road or footway.
Salt from the bins is not for use on private drives or paths.
You can download a list of
salt bin locations here to find your nearest. Please
phone Customer First if you would like to request one in your road,
move an existing one or if a salt bin:
- is empty;
- has been vandalised or overturned.
Download:
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