Our Madrid concessions, with snow on their heels!

The professionals in charge of the maintenance of our three highways in Madrid completed four uninterrupted days of work between Saturday and Tuesday to keep them open to traffic and solve incidents. In addition, they provided all kinds of assistance, including the transfer of a father-to-be to the hospital to accompany his wife during childbirth and the opening of the road so that another woman could give birth at the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Majadahonda after being transferred by ambulance 33 kilometers from Quijorna.

During the four days of the worst storms, there was an average temperature of at least 48 professionals. Most of them doubled its shifts until a home collection service could be organised for their reliefs and they could be transferred to the concessions. Between Friday and Sunday, most of the the teams rested on the premises in shifts of just two hours.

Globalvia specializes in the management of transport infrastructure concessions, with 25 projects in seven countries. Three of them are located in the Community of Madrid: a 14.1-kilometer section of the M-45 ring road , between the O’Donell axis and the N-II, another 11.6-kilometer section of the M-407 highway, between the M-404 and the M-506, and the so-called Ruta de los Pantanos, a 21.8-kilometer section of the M-501, between the M-40 and the M-522.

In the early hours of Friday, January 8 to Saturday, January 9, section I of the M-45 was the most affected by the snowfall. Three snowplow trucks, two surveillance vans and two support vehicles were put into service. At kilometer 27, several vehicles were held up after a truck crossed the road. It took four hours to clear the road and move the trapped vehicles. Three people were held up for a day and a half at this kilometer marker due to the lack of chains. They were offered a ride to the concessionaire’s operational center, but they preferred to stay in the vehicle, where they were supplied with broth and sandwiches

On the M-501 the biggest problems were concentrated on Friday night. The crossing of a bus caused a traffic jam, which made it difficult for the two operational snowplow trucks to access. At the Boadilla access, the operators had to help car by car until the traffic was cleared. One of the vehicles was that of the father-to-be, who managed to reach the Puerta de Hierro Hospital and accompany his wife in childbirth.

The hospital thanked our control center for the support provided and the good conditions in which the connection to their facilities was left. They were the key for a woman to be transferred by ambulance from Quijorna and to give birth at the aforementioned hospital. The teams took advantage of their trips to clear the main branches of the highway of snow.

Two snowplows worked permanently on the M-407, an asset that we manage 50/50 with Sarrión. In the early hours of Friday to Saturday, those cars that were occasionally trapped by the storm were reinstated one by one, circulating behind the snowplow until the Griñón traffic circle. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the highway was completely passable without chains.

Support was also given to third parties, specifically to Moraleja de En medio, clearing the main street up to the Arroyomolinos traffic circle. We also collaborated with the snowplow on the M-413 road to Fuenlabrada, and made several passes outside the concession section until reaching the M-50.

Thanks to the maintenance of the service, on the M-45 and M-501, the only stretches where daily data is available, 77,857 vehicles were able to travel during these four days.. In addition, the transit has been recovering significantly day by day, especially among heavy goods vehicles. If on Saturday 9, the daily traffic of heavy goods vehicles on the M-45 was only 7%. compared to the same day of the previous week, for the Tuesday 12 the proportion had risen to 73%.. At the M-501On Tuesday 12, the heavy goods vehicle traffic was 35%.

Transit progression from 2 to 12 January.