Limerick City and County Council is advising all road users to exercise extreme caution during the coming days due to a continuation of icy conditions on Limerick's road network.
Limerick City and County Council is advising all road users to exercise extreme caution during the coming days due to a continuation of icy conditions on Limerick's road network.
Salt stocks, which are currently in storage at the local authority’s Depot/Maintenance facilities, are being used by the Council's fleet of salt spreader trucks to treat strategic National (excluding the Motorway Network) and Non-National Routes around Limerick.
Limerick's motorway network is being treated directly by contractors on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the NRA), which assumed responsibility for the National Motorway Network in 2013.
The Council's ‘Winter Maintenance Salting routes 2015–16’, which are available to view on www.limerick.ie/council, are divided into two categories.
Commenting on the Council's Winter Maintenance Service Plan, Vincent Murray, Senior Engineer said, "Priority is given to National Route system (Priority 1), including the city's roads and streets, which carries the most intensive volumes of commuter traffic. Every effort is made to ensure that this network is maintained open for traffic at all times in spite of weather conditions. In extreme weather conditions such as the prolonged spell of sub-zero temperatures, attention is also given to regional and local road networks on the basis of need and the availability of resources."
"During recent nights, salting operations have been undertaken on all Priority 1 and Priority 2 routes at 7pm and again at 5am. It can take up to 3 hours to salt these routes while prevailing and forecasted weather conditions dictate the optimal start time for salting operations," added Mr. Murray.
He continued, "Rain, sleet and snow showers can negatively impact treated roads and therefore, it cannot be guaranteed that the network will remain in an ice or frost-free state at all times. Therefore, it is important that road users exercise extreme caution in inclement weather and drive to the conditions of the roads."