Roads in winter

The Highway Authorities are responsible for maintaining almost 2,500 miles of roads and a further 2,000 miles of footpath, and all major roads in the county are treated each winter.

Winter road conditions and weather information are continually assessed using the best available advice and technology. From October to April the Highway Authorities and Agents provide cover 24 hours per day, every day of the week, specifically to ensure a prompt and effective response to weather affecting the highways.Link

Salting the roads
Salt bins
Salting routes
Further information

Salting the roads

When road temperatures are at or below 1°C and moisture is present or likely to be present to form ice, designated roads are treated with 200 tonnes of salt on each occasion. This takes up to three and a half hours to complete. Frost does not usually affect road surfaces until late evening or early morning so whenever possible salting is carried out overnight and outside periods where road traffic is heavy. Occasionally the routes in only one authority’s area may be treated when the weather supports this course of action.

The decision to salt roads is taken based on the road temperature rather than the air temperature, which means that ice may have formed on your car, but not on the roads. Roads retain heat and do not cool down nearly as quickly as objects such as cars, and so frost on a car can be a misleading guide to whether salting is needed on the roads.

We do not salt pavements, other than in major shopping centres when snow/ice conditions are forecast to continue for 24 hours or more.

Salt bins

Salt bins are provided and maintained where at least one of the following conditions occur:

• The site is very exposed and severely affected by winter weather
• A junction hazard is present
• There is very high pedestrian movement, especially near local centres or the site is used regularly by the elderly, very young or mobility impaired.

Salting routes

A map of the salting routes in Nottinghamshire is available in the Highways in winter leaflet [PDF 3.2MB]

You can request a copy of the leaflet to be sent to you on tel: 08449 80 80 80.

Further information

To help you be safe on the road this winter read our top tips for winter driving.

For further information or enquiries:

tel: 08449 80 80 80 for county roads
tel: 0115 915 5555 for city roads

All trunk roads in Nottinghamshire are maintained by AMScott on behalf of the Highways Agency - tel: 01623 676555.