Entered 'Snow Removal Measures Period' for Heavy Snow and Ice Prevention... 4,600 Personnel Deployed

Ahead of the winter season, road management authorities across the country will enter the 'Snow Removal Measures Period' for four months from the 15th of this month to March 15th of next year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on the 9th that it will hold a video conference at the Government Sejong Complex on the 10th to conduct a final check on the preparation status of road management-related agencies ahead of the start of the snow removal measures period.

The meeting will be attended by more than 20 organizations, including MOLIT, Korea Expressway Corporation, metropolitan and basic local governments, and road safety specialized institutions such as the Korea Transportation Safety Authority and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

They plan to thoroughly discuss winter road safety measures such as preventive snow removal operations and safe driving campaigns to respond to road black ice and heavy snowfall, which are the main causes of major accidents in winter.

Since the public suffered greatly from vehicle entrapments caused by localized heavy snowfall in certain regions last winter, this year there is a policy to thoroughly prepare for snow removal.

First, this year, the number of freezing-vulnerable sections will be expanded from the existing 410 locations (840 km) to 464 locations (1,408 km). In these areas, cooperation will be sought from navigation companies such as SK Telecom and Kakao Mobility to provide drivers with advance guidance.

Also, the 2,194 variable speed limit signs, which were installed at the end of last year and have been in full operation since this year, will be actively utilized to reduce the speed limits when snow or black ice risks are high and to inform drivers accordingly.

For designated freezing-vulnerable sections, safety facilities such as automatic brine spraying systems and illuminated freezing caution signs will be expanded, while dedicated equipment and personnel will be deployed and the sites will be continuously monitored via CCTV for active management.

They have secured 400,000 tons of snow removal agents such as calcium chloride and salt, which is about 130% of the average usage over the past five years, and will deploy approximately 4,600 personnel and about 6,500 snow removal vehicles to ensure thorough snow removal operations.

During the snow removal measures period, each road management authority will operate a 24-hour work and situation reporting system, and establish a manpower and equipment support system among road management authorities centered on five regional land management offices by region.

To this end, on the 11th, eight related agencies including MOLIT, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Gangwon Province, and Korea Expressway Corporation plan to conduct a joint disaster preparedness heavy snowfall response field training at the Gangneung Daegwallyeong Rest Area.

Lee Yoon-sang, Director of the Road Bureau at MOLIT, said, "The government will make every effort to prepare in advance to prevent winter road accidents, and in case of heavy snowfall or black ice, will promptly inform the public of the situation and focus on quickly eliminating risk factors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.