Major annual project to keep vast network of roads open
As England’s largest county, ensuring North Yorkshire’s roads are kept open during the winter months is no easy feat.
The routes which we are responsible for stretch almost 5,800 miles which, laid end to end, would run from Northallerton to Tokyo.
For the coming season, a budget of more than £8million is available to deliver North Yorkshire’s winter service, which allows 70 gritters to take to the roads.
Our team's priority is to keep North Yorkshire’s roads open during the winter months.
They are supported by farm contractors, and in extreme conditions they often plough ahead of the gritters.
Since the mid-1990s, Pete Iveson has been ploughing and treating Buttertubs and Fleet Moss – Yorkshire’s highest road – in the Yorkshire Dales.
He said: “I have been preparing for winter in recent weeks by assessing machinery and ensuring we are stocked with salt.
“Our role is to make the roads safer as life goes on whatever the weather. We have milk tankers, animal feed wagons and the school taxi all needing to travel.”
Although the last few winters have been milder on the whole, the weather is always unpredictable. Pete recalls Storm Arwen in November 2021, when he was forced to tackle about seven feet of snow.
Pete Iveson has been ploughing and treating Buttertubs and Fleet Moss, Yorkshire’s highest road in the Yorkshire Dales since the mid-1990s.
NY Highways is a company created by ourselves and is responsible for the county’s gritting fleet. Over the past few years, it has invested more than £2 million in new gritters for its modern fleet.
The size of North Yorkshire’s roads network means priority is given to keeping the main routes open. Priority one routes connect or go through the county’s towns and are cleared before moving onto priority two routes, which give access to smaller communities.
We consider requests for additional gritting routes and review our existing routes on a yearly basis. All decisions are made in line with our policy on priority routes and cost.
The size of North Yorkshire’s roads network means priority is given to keeping the main routes open. Priority one routes connect or go through the county’s towns and are cleared before moving onto priority two routes, which give access to smaller communities.
We consider requests for additional gritting routes and review our existing routes on a yearly basis. All decisions are made in line with our policy on priority routes and cost.
Its managing director, Jamie Crumlish, said: "NY Highways work closely with North Yorkshire Council to deliver the winter service across the region. Together, we have successfully delivered this service over the last three years.
“Preparation for this year began some six months ago with the servicing of vehicles, disposal of old vehicles and procuring 32 new vehicles, as well as recruiting almost 70 support drivers to meet demand.
“The winter service is delivered by a team who operate in dangerous conditions to ensure North Yorkshire's critical roads are safe and clear to travel on."
There are also 21 road weather station cameras used to monitor road surface temperatures, wind speed, residual salt levels and humidity. These provide live updates every ten minutes.
Many of the cameras are found in remote roads, such as Ribblehead, Cowling Moss and Blakey Ridge.
The winter service is delivered by a team who operate in dangerous conditions to ensure North Yorkshire's critical roads are safe and clear to travel on.
The Horseshoe Inn is a family run hotel and restaurant situated in the village of Levisham, about two miles from the main A169 Whitby to Pickering road.
Like many businesses in remote parts of the county, staff rely on gritting teams to keep the roads clear of snow, ensuring guests and visitors can access the inn whatever the weather.
Iain Yates, general manager, said: “As a country inn with rooms in the beautiful hilltop village of Levisham, we have residents who travel from all over the country, and beyond, to stay with us in the stunning North York Moors National Park.
“With the support of the council to keep the roads clear, our residents, our local suppliers and the staff we employ know they are able to reach us safely and with ease.”
Many businesses rely on gritting teams to keep the roads clear of snow, ensuring guests and visitors can access the inn whatever the weather.
Gritters, their drivers, duty managers and officers are on call 24 hours a day between October and April – and longer if weather conditions require. Last year, more than 5,000 routes were treated.
Cameras and trackers are fitted in the gritters, which provide up-to-date information and allows them to be tracked online.
Our executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “Keeping our roads open during severe winter weather is a huge task, particularly in the most remote parts of the county. However, it remains one of our key priorities as we know how the service benefits everybody who lives, works, and visits.
“We use the latest weather forecasting technology, which includes ice prediction weather stations, a 24-hour weather forecast and road temperature sensor data. This is used to monitor conditions throughout the day and night, so gritting plans can be adjusted as needed.
“The weather cameras give decision makers more detailed knowledge of conditions and allows the public to make more informed choices of whether to travel.
“We owe our thanks to the highways team and farming contractors who work around the clock to make our roads as safe as possible.
“While we strive to keep the county moving in the worst weather, we remind road users to take when travelling and consider whether their journey is necessary.”
Keeping our roads open during severe winter weather is a huge task, particularly in the most remote parts of the county.
Salt accounts for up to a third of the winter maintenance budget, and our barns and salt heaps and bins have a capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes. These are serviced and replenished ahead of the winter season and are refilled mid-season and in response to requests from residents when resources allow.
During the winter season, we rely on volunteers in the most remote areas who are part of its innovative community gritting partnership scheme. This allows communities the chance to have access to grit to help clear snow and ice from their streets.
The community partnerships scheme represents collaborative working between ourselves and parish councils, town councils or other community organisations who coordinate volunteers in their area.
Those who join the scheme have to pay for equipment and grit, which can be purchased directly from ourselves at a cost of £100 per tonne.
Riccall Parish Council created a community gritting team in 2011 called Snow Patrol. The parish council saw the opportunity to help residents, especially vulnerable residents, get out of their houses and access facilities during bouts of bad weather.
Find out about joining the scheme and how to apply on our community gritting partnerships page.
Further information on our gritting operations, including road cameras and maps, can be found on our gritting page.
Gritting updates are posted on our Twitter and Facebook accounts.