Tis (almost) the season... for a high-tech winter

As we head towards November and the colder days draw near, Norfolk County Council's highways maintenance teams are getting ready to help keep Norfolk residents moving safely around the county as we launch our annual #NorfolkWinter campaign. 

2024 will witness the most technologically advanced gritting operation Norfolk has ever seen. With 45 brand new gritting vehicles joining the fleet over the last 2 years and all 58 of our vehicles now operating at the highest specifications available.  

Each vehicle will run with brand new auto-salting technology. Aided by satellite navigation, it will allow teams to salt the road with limited manual intervention, making the operation more accurate, saving time and reducing waste. 

On average, the technology reduces the amount of salt used by between 10% and 15% and saves salt being distributed onto grass verges and other areas that do not require gritting. The technology was trialled in some vehicles last year ahead of full implementation across all depots.   

Using mapping data, information from the Norfolk network, along with input from our highly skilled drivers, vehicles can track pre-programmed routes making treating Norfolk roads easier and more precise. 

Because route data is uploaded into the vehicles, any driver can select any route, set the required spread rate and drive - improving safety and ensuring more effective use of resources and drivers. This means that the network will be treated appropriately and consistently throughout this winter helping to keep Norfolk's roads moving. 

Councillor Graham Plant cabinet member for Highways, infrastructure and transport said "Our winter service is relied upon by many communities, businesses and visitors to Norfolk ensuring the highway network remains open and available for use for all modes of transport in the most severe weather conditions. I'm delighted that this new technology, installed in our winter vehicles, will mean we can maximise resource and avoid waste. We're ambitious for Norfolk, and the introduction of 45 new vehicles over the last two years means our teams are better equipped than ever before to keep Norfolk moving this winter." 

Alongside this technology we are also upgrading the Roadside Weather Stations across the County as they come to the end of their serviceable life. Recent upgrades include Smallburgh, Cromer and Barn Road Norwich, with Wells programmed for replacement within the next few months. These stations collect roadside data, such as road surface temperatures, which enables the Highways Team to decide on gritting actions over the forthcoming 36 hour period. 

Throughout the winter season updates will be posted to the county council's social media channels to let people know when gritting will be taking place. As well as tips and advice for travelling safely through the winter. Look for the #NorfolkWinter hashtag on Facebook. 

People can check which roads are on the council's gritting routes at www.norfolk.gov.uk/gritting. On the same map people can find the locations of around 2000 grit bins in the county that are filled by the County Council and which people can use on public pavements, cycle paths and roads to help everyone get around safely. 

Find more information on our website: www.norfolk.gov.uk/winter. 

The new technology is supplied by EXACTRAK.  It is supported by ECON vehicles which make up the entire Norfolk Fleet. 

Norfolk County Council's gritting operation is carried out by contractor Norse, on behalf of Norfolk County Council.