Minister Uraloğlu: Our Teams Continue Snow and Ice Control Efforts with 13,657 Personnel
Ankara, January 13 – Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that some routes have been temporarily closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall across the country. “Our highway teams are continuing their snow and ice control efforts 24/7 with 12,866 machines and equipment and 13,657 personnel from 457 snow control centers,” he stated.
Minister Uraloğlu made a statement regarding winter conditions and road situations at the General Directorate of Highways Smart Transportation Systems Center. He emphasized that they are working intensively to eliminate disruptions in transportation caused by snowfall. “As of yesterday, with the cold air mass coming from the western parts of our country, we are making intensive efforts to eliminate disruptions in transportation caused by the widespread snowfall across our country. We can see heavy snowfall especially in Sivas, Kayseri, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Muş, and Bingöl. We are receiving information from our colleagues in the field, and simultaneously, we are closely monitoring, controlling, and directing the entire process with thousands of cameras, both fixed and mobile, on the screens behind me. I can generally say that we do not have any closed sections other than provincial roads that are not main arteries. When the intensity of precipitation and blizzard decreases, we will open these temporarily closed areas to traffic. As of now, if we are to mention our important axes, the Kahramanmaraş Göksun road, Malatya Arap Gir, and Bingöl Karlıova road have been closed to all vehicle traffic.”
24/7 Alert Status
Minister Uraloğlu stated that some routes were closed to prevent adverse situations. “The biggest reasons for the closure of some routes are the measures we take in sections with heavy vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers. When we look at these, the Kayseri Pınarbaşı road, Tunceli Pülümür road, Genç Lice road, Kelkit Erzincan road, and Bingöl Solhan road are closed to heavy vehicle traffic. This is entirely a precautionary measure. If we were to open those areas to heavy vehicle traffic, we would not be able to carry out snow control due to those vehicles, and we might cause those vehicles, along with others, to be stranded. We also expect precipitation to be locally heavy in the east of Central Anatolia, the south and west of Eastern Anatolia, and Southeastern Anatolia, and to continue until Wednesday noon. Therefore, we may face adverse conditions such as transportation disruptions, icing, frost, and blizzards at high altitudes. As always, we are currently on 24/7 alert as a ministry to ensure that all our transportation networks, be it road, rail, or air, as I mentioned earlier, provide uninterrupted service.”
Inspections Intensified
“Approximately 757 thousand tons of salt, 453 thousand cubic meters of salt aggregate, and about 12 thousand tons of chemical de-icing salt solution for critical sections have been deployed to our snow control centers for snow control efforts to ensure comfortable and safe travel for our citizens on approximately 68,500 kilometers of road network across the country. In addition, we have implemented 930 kilometers of snow fences to prevent snow accumulation on roads during blizzards or gusts. Currently, our highway teams are continuing their snow and ice control efforts 24/7 with 12,866 machines and equipment and 13,657 personnel from 457 snow control centers. They are making great efforts to keep the roads open with snow plowing and salting operations throughout the country. They are also ensuring that traffic is not disrupted by quickly dealing with broken-down vehicles or those involved in traffic accidents. Furthermore, at the snow control center established within the General Directorate of Highways, route analysis, snow control efforts, open and closed roads, and instant traffic are monitored with monitors. We have taken measures against all kinds of traffic density and disruptions that may occur in transportation. We have also intensified our inspections,” he said.
Minister Uraloğlu also warned citizens who are planning to travel, are currently traveling, or are considering traveling to be cautious and to ensure that their vehicles are well-maintained, fully equipped, and fitted with winter tires for long-distance journeys.
Following his statement, Minister Uraloğlu received information about the latest road conditions by watching the cameras on the snow vehicles from the screens in the Smart Transportation Systems Center. (DHA)
