A multi-million pound partnership has been secured to upgrade around half of North Yorkshire's gritting fleet.
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.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
“Our investment in the new gritting fleet further demonstrates our commitment to delivering the most efficient winter service across our vast county.
“The partnership with Econ not only means we have the most up-to-date and reliable vehicles, but we’re delivering a significant cost saving for taxpayers too. We are also pleased to be able to support a local firm as they are a big employer in the county.
“We look forward to the gritters taking to the roads as we strive to keep the county moving this winter.”
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.
The managing director at Econ, Jonathan Lupton, 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.
“For 55 years, Econ has been the industry leader in the manufacture of gritters, and we look forward to continuing to play our part in ensuring councils, highways agencies and road contractors can keep Britain’s roads moving.”
Further information on gritting operations, including road cameras and maps, can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/gritting
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