Snow and Ice Databook 2014

SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 Technical Committee 2.4 Winter maintenance SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 ISBN - Deposito legal - Andorra la Vella del 2104 SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 2 SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 Foreword This latest edition of the Snow and Ice Database follows a well-established custom. The first edition, was delivered in Sapporo, Japan during the XIth International Winter Maintenance Congress of PIARC in 2002. It has now become a tradition, and every Congress sees the publi- cation of a new version of this valuable document. Valuable, indeed, for it gathers, in a homogeneous and coherent way, a descripstion of winter maintenance practices in more than 20 countries around the world. As a sign of unity, the framework of the document is common to all countries while highlighting their different approaches offers a glimpse into climatic and operational realities. This fourth edition, published in 2014, goes along with the XIVth International Winter Main- tenance Congress, held in Andorra, and is enriched not only with an update by all the par- ticipating countries, reporting on the latest developments in this domain, but also with the experience from new countries, which complete this very wide collection of knowledge and know-how. The Snow and Ice Database also takes stock of the latest research carried out in every country, aimed at presenting the concepts and technology of tomorrow’s winter maintenance. As for winter, it remains unpredictable: sometimes mild, sometimes very hard, sometimes short, sometimes much longer. Climate change without doubt, affects these variations; every year, it has surprises in store, and turns winter maintenance into an activity difficult to plan or to program. Even though there is demand for increased service there is the reality of an increasingly restrained budgetary framework. We have to do as well, if not better, while spen- ding less. The experience of others is now even more essential. This activity is fundamental to many countries: it’s about contributing to users’ safety throu- ghout one’s different travel modes, be they automotive, walk, bicycle or public transport, as well as to the economy, for many sectors use just-in-time production methods and heavily rely on the possibility of circulating on roads. It is also about coping more and more with the environment, and more globally to imple- ment approaches promoting sustainable development. For the fulfilment of this new version, I would like to express my gratitude the Andorran Or- ganizing Committee, and particularly to David Palmitjavila, member of Technical Commit- tee 2.4 and representative of Andorra, Jordi Garcia, Person in charge for the Exploitation and Conservation of the Roads of the Andorran government and corresponding member of the CT 2.4 who coordinated this project, as well as Richard Nelson and José Carlos Valdecantos, respectively English and Spanish speaking secretaries of this very committee. Beyond delivering knowledge and information, the intent of this document is to offer a mo- ment of pleasant reading, complete with illustrations and pictures, allowing us to witness what winter on the road really is, and how we must cope with it. For the whole committee Didier Giloppé, chairman of PIARC Technical Committee 2.4 Winter Maintenance SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 3 SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 Index ANDORRA LATVIA AUSTRIA LITHUANIA BELGIUM MOROCCO CANADA NEW ZEALAND CANADA-QUEBEC NORWAY CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVENIA DENMARK SOUTH KOREA ESTONIA SPAIN FINLAND SWEDEN FRANCE SWITZERLAND GERMANY THE NETHERLANDS ICELAND UNITED KINGDOM ITALY UNITED STATES JAPAN SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 4 SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 ANDORRA INDEX 1. Demographic and Roads 1.2 Road network and traffic 1.1. Information about the country Connections to the outside are possible solely by road using either one of the two border-crossing roadways: towards The Principality of Andorra is a microstate (468 km2) located Spain, across the border at the Runer River, at an altitude of between Spain and France, in the middle of the Pyrenees approximately 800 meters and 140 km from the city of Lleida mountain range. The current population is over 85,000 or 200 kilometers from Barcelona. The connection to France is inhabitants, with a density of 182 inhabitants/km2, with the more difficult, because the border is at Pas de la Casa, at an majority of the population concentrated on the valley floors. altitude of 2,000 meters, making circulation more difficult in the The key economic sectors are construction and its derivatives, winter months. The closest French cities are Perpignan at 170 the financial sector, and above all the restaurant industry and km and Toulouse at 190 km. trade. Every year more than 11 million tourists visit the country (approximately 80% leave the same day and 20% stay at least one night in the country), attracted mostly by the retail offerings and mountain sports, particularly in winter (the Principality of Andorra has the highest concentration of ski resorts in the Pyrenees, 315 km of trails). 2- Access isochrones for the Principality Slightly more than 40 km separate the Spanish border from the French border. This road goes through the capital, where the average traffic is around 100,000 vehicles per day. The other main road is that connecting Andorre la Vieille to the parish of Ordino. The rest of the road system is composed almost entirely of high mountain roads. 1- Official road map 2. Climate Administratively, the country is divided into seven parishes: 2.1. Overview of climatic areas Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany. More than half of From a regional point of view, the Principality of Andorra can the country’s population is concentrated in the two major be said to fall within the sphere of the Mediterranean climate; agglomerations of Andorre la Vieille (the country’s capital) and however, a set of geographical factors influencing the climatic Escaldes-Engordany. behavior in particular must be taken into account. SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 5 ANDORRA INDEX First, the relief and significant altitudinal cline present in the Graphic 5 provides information on the months when there is Principality of Andorra.Most of the country is at 2,000 m, and more snow on the ground: particularly January, February and accordingly falls within the realm of mountain climates where March. precipitations are higher than in the valleys, temperatures lower, In conclusion, note that the maximum amounts of snowfall the temperature range greater, and the wind more present. accumulated in 24 hours in the 1986-2003 period were 85 cm From 2,000 – 2,200 m, snow is likely to fall on a regular basis at 2,100 m (Pas de la Casa), 56 cm at 1,600 m (Ransol) and 40 cm from December to April. The situation changes in the warmest at 1,100 m (Escaldes). part of the year, especially summer, when the convective activity generates intensive precipitation, often in the form of storms lasting a short time. The other important geographical factor to be taken into account is Andorra’s distance from the sea. Proximity to the Atlantic Ocean fosters the inflow of wet winds from the French side of the Pyrenees. This characteristic leads to major precipitation in the form of snow in the winter season, particularly on the mountains in the mid-north part of the country. Andorra is under the influence of temperate climates (depending on precipitations), particularly in winter. These northern advections arrive with more difficulty in the southern half, which is more under the influence of the inflow of masses of humid air from the Mediterranean, and at a higher continental degree. Finally, it can be said that the climate in Andorra is defined by the following systems: Mountain – Mediterranean – Temperate. Average precipitations in the month of January in Andorra (Raso, 1999) 5-Monthly distribution of the average depth of snow in Escaldes (1,100 m), Engolasters (1,600 m / sunny) and Ransol 3- Average temperatures in the month of January in Andorra (1,600 m / dark) (Raso, 1999) (Raso, 1999) 2.3 Winter indices used in the country 2.2. Noteworthy climatic data In maps 3 and 4, which show the average figures for The Government, directly through its crews, is responsible for road precipitations and temperatures during the annual cold period maintenance and uses indices that are not based solely on in Andorra, we can see that the northern and eastern sectors of weather conditions to indicate the difficulties caused by winter. the Principality are the areas where the highest probability of Snowfalls during the winter in question and the quantities of snow on the ground is concentrated. salt used are the benchmarks for assessing the season’s harshness. SNOW AND ICE DATABOOK 2014 6 ANDORRA INDEX removal with neighboring countries by assisting them in extreme situations. This was the case when Catalonia (Spain) saw major snowfalls in 1962 and 2001. 6-Graph of tonnes of salt per season 3. Winter Road Management 7-Col d’Envalira, 1960 3.1 Standards and rules In terms of winter maintenance, all road maintenance is managed by government crews. Communal crews are Classification of roads. responsible only for roads within agglomerations. However, the Roads are classified into two types: effective collaboration between the seven communes and the central government in this area should be noted. • General roads, property of the Government; Sectoral organization of snow removal • Secondary roads, which belong to local corporations, The sectoral division is based on the “Y” shape of the road communes. system, which follows the valley floors. Based on the physical and climatic characteristics, winter maintenance (WM) crews Legal obligation were divided into two sectors: As owner, the central government is obligated to oversee the • The Vallée du Nord sector, with a network of 200 km of road; general roads, which ensure circulation at the national level.

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