The Almeria Provincial Council is guaranteeing access to all the towns and villages in the province thanks to the Winter Road Safety Plan coordinated by the Development Department. The Institution maintains this device active to deal with any incident on the more than 1,200 kilometres that make up the provincial road network. The system has at the disposal of all the municipalities the human and technical resources of the Road Brigades, as well as an external reinforcement team to optimise the capacity to respond to any incidents that may arise.
The vice-president of the Provincial Council and deputy for Development, Ángel Escobar, pointed out that traffic closures are only occurring on high mountain roads which have an alternative route to prevent any accidents: “As always at this time of year and in view of the forecast of low temperatures and adverse weather phenomena, we are prepared to deal with any unforeseen event and always maintain the provincial road network in perfect condition with the maximum guarantees of safety. Furthermore, we have the capacity to extend this system if the situation requires it with complementary means”.
The main purpose of this Plan is to have a specific protocol for action and communication which, at all times, guarantees road connections between the 103 municipalities with safety, comfort and fluidity for all road users. Escobar also praised the efforts of the Diputación’s road staff who “throughout the year, and especially when any incident occurs, are always on hand to ensure the safety of drivers”.
The Diputación’s Winter Road Plan consists of 70 staff, including the brigades and the Provincial Institution’s team of drivers, as well as the support provided by the contractors responsible for maintenance, plus any reinforcements that may be necessary if the incident requires them to do so.
As a precaution, the following roads have been closed to traffic during the night with restrictions, although all of them have alternative routes to give access to the municipalities they connect:
Closed to traffic as a precaution AL-5407 in Collado Ramal and the AL-3202 Velefique – Bacares.
Use of chains compulsory on AL-4404 at Calar Alto and AL-5406 at Las Menas.
Material resources foreseen in the Plan
6 shovels equipped with chains, distributed throughout the province.
6 motor graders equipped with chains, distributed throughout the province.
2 mixed backhoes equipped with chains and snow ploughs.
2 salt loading trucks for distribution on the road, distributed in the southern and northern areas of the province.
2 vans for transporting labourers.
A salt extension lorry.
10 vehicles for management and transport to work sites.
10 vehicles for network surveillance.
1 mini backhoe and sweepers for road cleaning.
2 dumper trucks for cleaning.
6 permanent salt stores and several temporary ones.
Machinery of external collaborators suitable for the fight against ice and snow distributed throughout the provincial territory.
Contracted equipment assigned to the Road Plan
2 Tow-trucks
2 Dump truck
2 Motor grader
2 adaptable snow ploughs
4 Backhoes
2 Mini loaders
2 Vans
2 Concrete mixers
2 pressure washers
2 Rollers
2 Compressor with 2 hammers
More than 20 million in roads for the four-year period 2020-23
The Almeria Provincial Council’s 2020-23 Road Plan has 17.2 million euros for specific road improvement projects, to which 4.5 million euros are being added for the maintenance and upkeep of provincial roads.
The works, which will reach their halfway point this year, will be carried out on more than 240 kilometres of different stretches of provincial roads which will benefit all road users.