All the action is underway in the four road operations centers of the Territoire de Belfort department, for this first snow offensive, announced this Thursday in Franche-Comté. Northern Franche-Comté goes into snow orange alert from 11:00 a.m.with snow showers expected by mid-afternoon. From 3 to 10 centimeters, even 15 to 20 locally. .
In the Territoire de Belfort department, the 66 agentsdistributed in four road operations centers (Giromagny, Saint-Germain le Chatelet, Belfort and Joncherey) are ready to board their 16 vehicles to clear some 535 kilometers of departmental roads.
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The system is well established. After the weather alerts, two patrollers are dispatched to the network, south and north, to measure the snow cover. *”The patrollers confirm the forecasts on the ground and trigger the intervention of the machines, depending on each local situation”,*explains Christophe Brion, head of the operating unit. 14 snow removal routes have been established. Each vehicle covers 60 kilometers in 4 hours.
This very first episode of the season particularly mobilizes the roads department, because users do not yet have their winter habits. “As it is the first, we see motorists who have not yet understood that they must adapt their driving on slippery roads. Unfortunately, it's on the first outings that we have the first clashes” explains Jean-Patrice Demange, director of roads, at the Territoire de Belfort department.
This winter viability comes at a cost. Several hundred thousand euros, in overtime or on-call bonus, but also the use of the vehicle fleet or the quantity of salts or brines used. 500 tonnes of salt for a mild winter. Up to 6000 tonnes for the toughest.
