Fleet of 'faster' gritter vehicles will benefit Stamford and Rutland road-users this winter
Salt reserves three-times heavier than the Eiffel Tower could be used on our region's roads
Families travelling up and down the A1 and across the region's roads this winter will benefit from a fleet of new, high-tech gritter vehicles.
National Highways received an investment of £44m to improve its existing roster, with the brand-new lorries coming with a range of improvements.
Above all, they'll be able to operate at 10mph quicker than before - meaning they can make roads safer sooner when the temperatures drop below zero.
Ready for the cold
Darren Clark is the Severe Weather Resilience Manager at National Highways - he says the more efficient vehicles should help bring down journey times this Christmas:
'This winter for the East Midlands, this will be the first time this fleet will be used. We had a mix of old and new last year, but this year we're running a brand-new fleet for the first time ever.'
'We have in total over 530 vehicles across our whole network, and in total we have around 280,000 tonnes of salt in 128 depots, so we are well geared-up.'
State-of-the-art improvements
Between 11,000-33,000 tonnes of salt, stored at 10 depots, will be used by a fleet of 47 new vehicles across the East Midlands.
The new fleet has the following features:
• Enhanced performance: The Romaquip gritters can travel at a maximum speed of 50mph when salt spreading - ten miles an hour faster than earlier vehicles – helping to keep traffic moving on the roads during periods of salt spreading.
• Eco-friendly: They are the cleanest and most efficient diesel heavy goods vehicles available in the UK, meeting Euro 6 requirements - the latest EU emission standards for heavy-duty CI (diesel) engines to reduce harmful exhaust emissions.
• Smart technology: On-board functions allow salting routes to be uploaded directly into the vehicle cockpit, assisting drivers with the latest information on where and when to salt.
• Precision spreading: Latest tech advances enable drivers to choose the most appropriate treatment in different road conditions.