The Tarn department ready to face winter weather

With the cooling of temperatures, the first snows are imminent. Like every year, the Department puts in place a winter road maintenance plan in order to cope with bad weather. “In total, we have 30 road centers throughout Tarn which work 365 days a year,” explains the president of the departmental council, Christophe Ramond.

In the Alban center hangar, priority is given to efficiency in clearing the roads in the event of snowfall. “For this winter viability plan, which begins on November 28 and lasts until March 16, there are 253 agents mobilized and 60 more on call. The normal range of interventions is from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and until 8 p.m. hours on the main network,” adds the president.

2,400 tonnes of salt in stock

A stock of 2,400 tonnes of salt, distributed in 26 depots, covers the entire department. “Thanks to inforoute81.fr, users can know in real time the state of the network from the early hours of the morning,” continues the new roads director, Sébastien Durand. “The Department invests in two new vehicles per year, knowing that a classic snow removal truck costs 260,000 euros and that prices are constantly increasing,” adds the president.

To show that the Department's investment is not weakening, the Alban center brought, for the occasion, a new acquisition from Murat-sur-Vèbre: a truck equipped with a milling machine which makes it possible to clear layers of snow. very heavy snow. The price: 420,000 euros.

On the sides, the agents listen to the speeches. “We are very well equipped and sufficiently numerous. The real problem remains the behavior of certain users. A few years ago, a foreign truck without equipment got stuck in the snow. It was blocked at the Croix Blanche. We told him to turn around. He didn't listen to us. A few minutes later, he was behind Alban again, preventing the snow removal. An hour later, he forced the road again and found himself stuck. in Montfranc. His behavior delayed the snow removal for an hour,” says an agent. And there, despite all the means put in place, the time lost cannot be made up for.