More than 500 troops and 148 vehicles make up the team deployed by the Andalusian Government to keep in good condition the 2,077 kilometers of Andalusian roads that can be affected this winter by snowfall and frost. The Minister of Development, Articulation of the Territory and Housing, Rocío Díaz, has presented the Winter Road Plan on a visit to the Guadix Highway Conservation Center, in the province of Granada. This plan, which as every year is activated in the month of November and runs until the end of March, has a special device to attend the roads of five provinces at risk of snow, such as those of Almería, Córdoba, Granada, Jaén and Malaga.
Rocío Díaz has expressed the firm commitment that the Andalusian Government has shown since 2019 for road safety and road conservation, since investment has been recovering to return to existing levels before the 2008 economic crisis. “The Government of Juanma Moreno has reversed this situation and, in fact, for the budgets for 2024 we have reserved 200 million euros,” he said.
The Minister of Public Works has indicated that this commitment to conservation is also reflected in this winter road plan, where there has been an increase in the number of members of the device: compared to 471 team workers last year, there have now been 501 personnel among personnel from conservation centers and territorial Development delegations. Rocío Díaz thanked “the effort made by a team of people, who are there every day of the year ensuring the safety of our roads and who at this time of year carry out essential work and, sometimes, in very difficult conditions” .
The winter road plan will also have 150 vehicles, including 42 snow plows, 18 backhoes, 75 vehicles (including SUVs, vans, and vans), seven trucks, and five tractors. 6,210 tons of sodium chloride (salt) has also been collected as a flux material.
Each province has a distribution of troops and vehicles adapted to the circumstances of its road network.
The device planned for the province of Almería is made up of 79 professionals and 25 vehicles, among which there are backhoes, vans and snowplows distributed in the conservation centers. In addition, 380 tons of salt are stored in the silo-conservation centers. The work will focus on 308 kilometers of high-altitude road network, with special attention to several sections of high-capacity roads such as the A-92 and A-92N, as well as the A-334 road.
