-7 Degrees Celsius and Below Makes Road Icing Inescapable, Says Road Department

The RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure's State Road Department has announced that during snowfall, roads are cleared when the surface layer exceeds 3-4 cm. After cleaning, salt and sand treatment follows. In the case of prolonged snowfall, this process occurs periodically.

At temperatures below -7°C, salt loses its ability to create melting, and the salt-sand mixture no longer serves its purpose. In such cases, sand and slag are used, which increases the contact between vehicle tires and the road surface.

Following weather forecasts can help to some extent in preventing road icing, but it is impossible to predict the amount of precipitation. At extremely low temperatures, road icing cannot be prevented because even after snow clearing and salting, time is needed for the snow layer to engage with the wheels and begin to melt.

Under blizzard conditions, road clearing and treatment activities are ineffective, as the cleared road is continuously covered by snow carried by the wind, and the salt-sand mixture disappears with the airflow. Additionally, visibility during blizzards is nearly zero.

The State Road Department urges drivers not to obstruct the work of contractor organizations carrying out winter services and to follow all instructions. This allows the personnel of the organizations to perform snow removal and salting-sanding treatments more quickly and easily.

It should be noted that operational information regarding interstate and republican significance roads can be obtained by calling the 24-hour hotline at 010 56-25-33, as well as by following the State Road Department's official website armroad.am or its Facebook page.