Westmeath County Council has revealed the measures it has in place to deal with any extreme weather conditions this winter.
The council has identified a schedule of priority routes whch will be gritted with salt in the event of ice or snow. These include all the county’s motorway and national primary routes, most regional roads, and some local roads, for example those leading to schools.
A map of the roads which would be gritted is available to view on the council’s website on www.westmeathcoco.ie
Director of services Barry Kehoe says the objective is to maintain these roads to make them as safe as possible, but stressed that gritting is no guarantee that roads will be ice-free.
Forecasts are reviewed daily, and a duty engineer is available at all times to make a call on whether roads need to be treated.
In the event of flooding this winter, Mr Kehoe says the council is limited in what measures it can employ, as a long-term solution depends on the outcome of the national CFRAM study currently underway.
“The ESB are keeping good control and giving us good information [regarding the Shannon].” said Mr Kehoe.
