Winter Services

Types of gritting/salting routes

Precautionary salting routes

These are based on the amount of traffic that uses the route and a number of other factors that road users thought were important for the salting network:

• Principal and main roads (those carrying at least 3000 vehicles per day)
• Important bus routes
• Routes to hospitals
• Roads leading to ambulance stations, fire stations and police stations
• Bus routes adjacent to or serving schools
• Selected hills.

The council aims to treat all precautionary salting routes in North Lincolnshire within three hours of the gritters being mobilised.

There are currently nine precautionary salting routes. Details of the precautionary salting routes can be found on our interactive gritting routes map.

Secondary salting groups

In addition to the precautionary salting route there is a network of secondary routes that will be treated when all precautionary routes have been treated. However these will only be treated if:

• Air temperatures remain below zero degrees centigrade for more than 24 hours continuously and/or
• There is a clearly identified problem caused by snow or ice on the highway.

Secondary routes meet the following criteria:

• A route on a relatively steep hill.
• A route, which for a significant length, is next to a deep drainage ditch, river or similar.
• Local bus routes not included elsewhere.
• Pedestrianised area of Brigg and Scunthorpe, Frodingham footbridge and Ashby Broadway.
• Additional routes that provide links for gritting vehicles.
• Main routes next to schools (that can be accessed by a gritting vehicle).
• Main industrial estates.

Reduced precautionary salting network at times of salt shortage

During recent winters prolonged periods of cold weather across many parts of the country has resulted in a shortage of rock salt.

Whilst there are national strategic stockpiles of salt, there may be times when salt use has to be reduced to preserve stocks. In this case there is a reduced precautionary network, which includes priority 1 routes in snow and ice conditions, routes to key infrastructure and selected routes with particular access difficulties.

Details of the reduced precautionary salting network can be found on the interactive gritting routes map.

Alternatively, you can download a copy of our Secondary Salting Routes