The cold is setting in slowly but surely in the Paris region, and the first snowflakes are expected there from this Thursday, November 21. The departments of Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines, via their common public establishment, have activated their annual winter viability plan, just as Paris La Défense has done.
Until mid-March 2025, 230 agents (including 160 who can be mobilized immediately) will be ready to intervene preventively in the event of snow or ice. Coming from the two departments, they will be able to carry out interventions throughout the winter to ensure optimal traffic conditions on approximately 1,570 kilometers of roads in the Yvelines road network and 340 in Yvelines, including Boulevard Patrick Devedjian, which surrounds the historic heart of the western Parisian business district, and Boulevard de La Défense.
“Daily weather monitoring as well as surveillance of the road network by patrolling, as soon as conditions require it, will be carried out,” indicate the two departments in a joint press release. Depending on the evolution of weather conditions and the state of the road surface, treatments by salting or scraping in the event of snow will be carried out. The winter organization put in place is based on around forty agents placed on call 24 hours a day and on equipment equipped and ready to intervene at any time (thirty-two salt spreaders equipped with snow removal blades). 4,000 tonnes of salt are stored across all the depots, and replenishments will be made throughout the winter, the press release specifies.
“The objective is to maintain minimum traffic conditions for the duration of the phenomenon (snow, ice, etc.) and to ensure a return to normal within a variable time frame depending on the climatic event and the importance of the roads” , add the departments.
The first preventive interventions, carried out thanks to the Intervention and Operation Centers (CEI), will take place this fall, when the weather conditions require it. These night outings, during which light salting is carried out prior to morning traffic, take place when temperatures are around 0°C with a risk of localized ice.
Furthermore, to deal with exceptional snow episodes, a partnership approach with the agricultural profession has been initiated since 2011 in the Yvelines region. Agreements concluded with fifteen volunteer farmers allow them to be involved in snow clearance activities in rural areas (scraping snow-covered roads, clearing snowdrifts in plain areas, etc.).
