New rules for the use of reagents on roads will be written down in GOST
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Unified rules for the use of anti-icing materials (IGM) on suburban roads were prepared by order of Rosavtodor. The current recommendations are outdated, road workers explain; in addition, reagents become more expensive every year. “The fight against winter slipperiness on roads costs hundreds of billions of rubles a year,” emphasizes Rosavtodor. The document will record, in particular, when to start processing after the start of snowfall and during what time it is necessary to remove the resulting “snow mass” from the road. And when applying PGM, road services will be prohibited from staining oncoming cars with the chemical.
The Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor) ordered the development of GOST with rules for the use of de-icing materials on country roads back in 2022. The contractor, the association “Commonwealth of Operating Organizations,” presented the first edition of the standard, Kommersant got acquainted with the document.
The standard covers terms such as “winter slipperiness,” “compacted snowpack,” “snow runup,” “snow-ice formations,” and “vitreous ice,” and also explains what “friction” and “combined” materials are. The document prescribes the distribution of PGM primarily in places where traffic accidents are concentrated (occurred due to poor road conditions), on sections of highways with limited visibility, steep slopes, at intersections, stops, and dedicated lanes. So, in mountainous areas, treatment should begin with steep climbs, serpentines, bridges, and avalanche galleries. In case of snow intensity up to 3 cm/h, reagents should be applied after 30–40 minutes. after precipitation, at an intensity of 3-5 cm/h – after 20-30 minutes, more than 8 cm/h – from the moment the snowfall begins. Within three hours, the resulting “snow mass” should be removed. Liquid PGMs need to be distributed using special machines at a speed of 40–60 km/h, friction or combined reagents – 30–45 km/h. At the same time, road workers are warned against spilling substances onto oncoming traffic. If there is an electronic board on the highway, you need to warn road users about the processing.
Today, there are several industry-specific methodological documents for road services with recommendations on the use of PGMs, but they are outdated and not mandatory, as follows from the explanations of Rosavtodor. In addition, the agency told Kommersant, the costs of using PGM constitute “one of the most significant items” of winter road maintenance costs due to the constant rise in prices. For example, industrial salt (sodium chloride, most often used by road workers) rises in price by 15–20% annually, its average price is 6.5–7.5 thousand rubles. per ton. The current standard for preventive road treatment is 5–15 g of salt per 1 sq. m. m of road, during snowfall – 40 g/sq.m. m. “The fight against winter slipperiness on roads in the Russian Federation costs hundreds of billions of rubles a year,” Rosavtodor summarized to Kommersant. “With such costs, the issues of regulating requirements for PGMs and their use become very relevant for the country’s road sector.” By May 2024, the discussion of the standard will end, then it will be approved, references to the requirements of the new GOST will be written down in government contracts for the maintenance of roads, which will make it mandatory for use.
The experience of using PGMs was summarized more than 20 years ago, it’s time to update and update the standards, confirms the head of the staff of the National Association for Winter Road Maintenance, Anna Klimentova. “Over the past ten years, the number of vehicles has almost doubled, which has caused significant changes in the requirements for road maintenance and their quality,” she adds. “It is no longer possible to remove sand the old fashioned way. Since 2010, the scientific community has carried out more than a hundred different studies and testing so that more effective de-icing agents appear in Russia.” Anna Klimentova says that the developers of the new GOST tried to “sufficiently fully reflect advanced experience and practice,” but in the project, she believes, it is also necessary to take into account “approaches to the selection of types of PGMs and their use depending on the weather.”
The majority of regional representatives interviewed by Kommersant have not yet undertaken to comment on the new rules. “The previous guide to combating winter slipperiness was a good, but outdated document that did not take into account many modern materials, it lacked detail,” the Department of Roads of the Ulyanovsk Region told Kommersant. “We have long been waiting for a new GOST on this topic, according to which we could work normally and clearly. Its requirements will simplify the work, regulate it, make it clearer, and it will be more convenient to make calculations,” says Ivan Volodin, head of the highway technical supervision department. The Ministry of Roads and Transport of the Stavropol Territory told Kommersant that the subordinate organizations of Mindora “for now will use a traditional sand-salt mixture to combat ice.” The Ministry of Transport of Crimea and Krymavtodor noted to Kommersant that local specialists are studying the new rules and will try to comply with them, but no one is ready to give more specific assessments and forecasts yet.
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