From January 1 to January 10, 2022, an abnormal amount of precipitation fell on M4 Don highway, which significantly hampered traffic on the road. During this period, the operator of toll roads UTS, operating the section from 225 to 715 km of M4 highway, together with its subcontractor Mostotrest-Service (MTTS), removed 678,403 m3 of snow with the help of almost 57 thousand KAMAZ trucks.
Under the operator agreement for M4, UTS company provides a full range of services, including road maintenance, heavy maintenance, equipment & systems maintenance, toll collection, traffic safety inspectors (TSI) services.
Winter maintenance of roads is carried out strictly in accordance with the “Guidelines for combating winter slipperiness”, approved by the order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation (No. OS-548-r dated 06/16/2003). The time allotted for removing snow from the roadway should not exceed four hours.
Nevertheless, UTS is doing everything possible to improve these indicators and quickly eliminate the consequences of adverse weather. UTS and MTTS fleet includes almost 200 clearing machines. Among it: 9 motor graders, 98 combined road machines, 47 tractors and 6 excavator tractors, 22 front loaders and 10 snow blowers.
Since the beginning of the winter season, the M4 section operated by UTS has been cleaned and processed by MTTS at least several times a day. If necessary, additional equipment is mobilized.
"The order of work in winter, as well as the frequency of passage of snowplows, depends on the data of the hydrometeorological service and UTS meteorological stations, which determine the temperature and humidity of the air, wind speed and direction, intensity and amount of precipitation, as well as the state of the road surface (temperature, presence moisture and salt concentration).
To avoid the formation of frost, we use special reagents that are safe for the environment, but prevent water from freezing at certain temperatures. In snowy and slushy weather, solid substances are most often used. In dry weather and with ice, we use more liquids.
When it hits the ice surface, the solid reagent begins to actively absorb (absorb) moisture from the road surface. During the transition from the solid phase to the liquid, the reagent releases heat, causing the snow to melt. The mass formed from melted snow, ice and a reagent is called brine, the freezing point of which is lower than the freezing point of water,” said Oleg Trofimov, UTS First Deputy General Director.
UTS is also responsible for maintaining the section from 15 to 58 km of M11 Neva highway. At this site during the New Year holidays, the company removed more than 9.3 thousand m3 of snow.