Gritting teams primed and ready for action

Gritting teams are primed and ready for action if severe weather hits Westmeath. Five duty engineers, seven truck drivers, a team of relief drivers and 12 snowploughs are “ready to go”.

Damien Grennan, senior engineer, outlined the plan of action to councillors at a meeting last month. He said that all regional roads are now gritted by the council and some local routes have been added.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) looks after the motorway and national primary routes. All routes can be viewed on the council website.

Three of the trucks are geared to take pre-wet salt, which is more efficient, effective and economical for gritting roads.

The council are pushing to have the other four made compatible. Pre-wet maintenance was introduced on five of their seven routes last year and it is hoped to include the other two routes this year. The more efficient the operation the more roads they will be able to do.

Some 566km of road is treated, 122km having been added in the last 10 years. The council liaise with Met Éireann and aim to deploy crews before the heavy weather hits.

A roadside weather station has been created on the N4, just outside Ballinalack, complete with the latest technology providing live weather updates.

Mr Grennan also thanked the local media for their help in getting information to the public.

If you have to travel in severe weather, consult the council website to see what routes are treated, Mr Grennan advised.

Cllr Tom Farrell asked that the road from Glasson to Moate and from Moate to the Offaly border be added, while Cllr Frank McDermott wanted the road from Collinstown to the Meath border included.

Cllr Frankie Keena felt that Athlone had far fewer routes covered than Mullingar. He said Mullingar was like “spaghetti junction” while Athlone wasn’t. He accepted that there were more regional roads in the Mullingar area, but asked that strategic local roads in Athlone be considered.

Cllr Aoife Davitt wanted the trucks to grit at schools they pass, in keeping with the council’s safe travel to school policy.

Cllr Johnnie Penrose said that the stretch from Kilbeggan to Skeagh is included, but then it stops. He urged that gritting be continued on as there are two schools in that area.

Mr Grennan assured the members that when they have “pre-wet” on all the routes they will be able to consider members’ requests to add more routes.