Munich (dpa / lby) – In view of shaky supply chains in the economy and feared energy bottlenecks, the Bavarian state government wants to take away the concerns of slippery roads in the coming winter. According to Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), 370,000 tons of road salt are stored on federal and state roads for winter service, and delivery problems are not to be expected. “Winter can come, we are prepared,” said Bernreiter on Sunday. “Should it be a very icy winter, we will get supplies from German salt deposits and are therefore independent of deliveries from other countries.”
Almost 2,000 employees in 64 road maintenance depots are responsible for the winter service for the 20,000 kilometers of federal and state roads. “Of course we try to use the salt as efficiently as possible so as not to unnecessarily pollute the environment,” said Bernreiter. “Instead of loose grains of salt, liquid brine is applied to the roads, which adheres better to the road and its effect lasts longer.” In this way, salt consumption is significantly reduced while safety remains the same.