Road Salt In Germany Is Becoming Scarce

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Despite larger supplies of road salt, many stocks are almost exhausted due to the early and persistent winter. North Rhine-Westphalia is now breaking new ground.

The early and long-lasting onset of winter in Germany is causing bottlenecks in road salt. Although many cities and municipalities have built up their stocks around the previous winter, in many places the reserves are already exhausted. The most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has now set up its own central registration office that is supposed to regulate the distribution of the last stocks.

Central delivery point

The road maintenance depots as well as the municipalities and districts in North Rhine-Westphalia are no longer allowed to order new road salt from the supplier. Rather, they have to report their respective holdings to the registration office set up by the state company "Straßen NRW". "We will then hand it in centrally and according to urgency," explains the winter service coordinator of the state company, Ludwig Niebrügge, to the daily newspaper "Rheinische Post".

The remaining grit should then be distributed depending on the weather, the area and its importance for the transport network. Actually, North Rhine-Westphalia has prepared for a strong winter. Based on the experience of the previous year, 135,000 tons were stored this year. The stock has meanwhile been severely decimated, although up to 3000 tons are replenished every day. The problem: on a classic winter day three times as much grit, i.e. around 9,000 tons, is needed. There are similar problems in other German federal states as well. The demand for road salt is so great that the salt suppliers can no longer fulfill their orders. (mid)