Winter roads: GOST will appear in the Russian Federation with uniform rules for combating slippery roads

According to the document, de-icing materials should be used primarily in areas where accidents are concentrated that occurred due to poor road conditions.< /p>

The Federal Road Agency (Rosavtodor) ordered the development of a state standard with rules for the use of anti-icing materials on country roads last year. The association “Commonwealth of Operating Organizations” acted as the executor of the order; now it has prepared the first edition of the future GOST.

C Kommersant has already reviewed the document: it is reported that the GOST will disclose terms related to the issue, including “winter slipperiness”, “compacted snow cover”, “snow roll”, “snow-ice formations” and “vitreous ice” . The standard will also contain an explanation of what “friction” and “combined” materials are.

The current edition of the future state standard stipulates that, first of all, it is necessary to use de-icing materials in places where there is a concentration of road accidents that occurred due to poor road conditions. Also on this priority list are sections of highways with limited visibility and steep slopes, as well as intersections, stops and lanes dedicated to public transport.

The document also notes special cases: for example, in mountainous areas, treatment of country roads must begin with serpentines, bridges, steep climbs and avalanche galleries. It is indicated that in case of snow intensity up to 3 cm/h, reagents should be distributed 30-40 minutes after precipitation; if the intensity is from 3 to 5 cm per hour — after 20-30 minutes; if the indicator exceeds 8 cm/h, work must begin from the moment the snow begins.

GOST plans to stipulate that the resulting “snow mass” must be removed within three hours. The developers also noted that liquid deicing materials must be distributed using special machines at a speed of 40-60 km/h, and friction or combined ones — at a speed of 30-45 km/h. In addition, road workers must apply substances so that they do not fall on oncoming traffic.

Rosavtodor noted that that the cost of using anti-icing materials constitutes “one of the most significant items” of spending on winter road maintenance (including due to the constant rise in prices). The department added that “the fight against winter slipperiness on roads in the Russian Federation costs hundreds of billions of rubles a year.”

The discussion of the new state standard is scheduled to be completed by May 2024. Later it will be approved, and the requirements of this document will become mandatory for use and will be taken into account when drawing up government contracts for the maintenance of Russian roads.