ALTHOUGH we may not be taking the car out even less than usual this winter, it’s still a good idea to know how the roads will look when you venture out.
Essex Highways has made sure that the drive will not be too slippery with their salting routes map of Essex.
Marked by blue lines, residents can see the fleet of vehicles at their current location as they travel around the county.
The team have 57 routes this year covered by 62 machines with ploughs along with two mini gritter routes covered by two mini gritters to treat weak bridges and roads.
All routes on the salting network are treatable in a maximum of 3 hours.
A spokesman said: “Local schoolchildren helped to name a number of our gritters. Keep an eye out for Grit Monster, Alexander the Grit, Gritney Spears, Mrs Good Grit, Big G, Levi, Ice Buster, Ice Exterminator, Rory and Gustav.
“In 2018, the Essex Youth Assembly named addtional gritters and Ice Caramba, The Only Way is Gritty, Gritting Queen, Gritty, Gritty Bang Bang, Gritendor, Frosty, Andy Flurry, Grit Notley, Gritty McGrit Face and Gritty Gordon were added to the named fleet.
"The gritting lorries are instructed to go out based on weather condition information and road temperatures.
"This means that most salting runs are done either early morning and completed before 7am or late evening which may be why you have not seen the gritting lorries.
"Any further runs throughout the day are instructed as required.
"It is a common misconception that grit is used to treat ice and snow.
"From October 2013, we use a salt spreading system known as Pre Wetting.
"This applies salt particles covered in a liquid brine solution which means that the salt is distributed from the spreader in a more controlled manner than dry salt.
"This then starts working as soon as it hits the surface.
"Salt works by lowering the freezing point of any moisture that comes into contact with the road to minus eight centigrade.
"If the road temperatures drop below this, the salt becomes ineffective and ice will begin to form."
To find out where your gritter is, click here to access the map.
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