A multi-million pound partnership has been secured to upgrade around half of North Yorkshire’s gritting fleet to ensure the latest technology is treating the county’s network.
NY Highways, which runs the winter service on behalf of North Yorkshire Council, has entered a seven-year lease with Ripon based engineering firm Econ.
The £5.7 million contract will see 31 new gritters treat the county’s 5,800 miles of roads, which, laid end to end, would run from Northallerton to Tokyo.
The gritters have been delivered in batches starting from October, and the final ones will be on the road by January.
About 70 gritters are required to run the winter maintenance service across the county each year, with the new gritters replacing the oldest vehicles in the fleet.
Gritters, their drivers, duty managers and officers are on call 24 hours a day between October and April – and longer if weather conditions require. Last year, more than 5,000 routes were treated.
Cameras and trackers are fitted in the gritters, which provide up-to-date information and allows them to be tracked online.
Jonathan Lupton is managing director at Econ, the industry leader in the manufacture of gritters. He said: “We are delighted to build on our longstanding partnership with NY Highways with the delivery of these 31 new gritters, which will play a vital role in keeping motorists safe on North Yorkshire’s roads this winter.”
Jamie Crumlish, Managing Director at NY Highways, said: “NY Highways work closely with North Yorkshire Council to deliver the winter service across the region. Together, we have successfully delivered this service over the last 3 years.
“The winter service is delivered by a team who operate in dangerous conditions to ensure North Yorkshire’s critical roads are safe and clear to travel on.”
