She congratulated staff at the Highways Agency in Whittlesford, for keeping
the county’s M11 motorway and major A roads moving since the extreme
cold and snowy weather set in before Christmas.
Gritting teams and traffic officers from the Highways Agency worked
throughout the past month, clearing snow and treating its roads to keep
them open, and dealing with any incidents.
Mrs Follett said: “This has been the longest spell of freezing
weather for 29 years and, throughout it, councils and contractors in the
East of England have worked with the Highways Agency to keep our roads
open. I want to thank them for their sterling efforts. Without their
commitment and dedication, which I know has been round-the-clock here in
Whittlesford, many people would have suffered far more danger and
discomfort than they did in the snow and ice that covered our transport
network.
“Britain gets long spells of icy weather once a generation and this
one was particularly long. That is why we had to ask local authorities to
adapt their strategies to make sure there was enough salt to keep priority
roads open. In some areas, this meant sharing much needed resources and I
was very pleased and proud of the teamwork displayed by authorities through
this difficult time.
“I take off my hat to the people working at this depot, and others
like it across the East of England. You have kept us all going and we are
all very grateful.”
Mike Wherrett, Highways Agency Regional Performance Manager for eastern
England, said: "The Highways Agency was fully prepared for the recent cold
weather. Throughout the day and night, our salt spreaders and snow ploughs
from Whittlesford and twelve other depots across eastern England have been
out on the motorways and major A roads, ensuring that they remained open
and safe for the travelling public.
"Where incidents did occur our service providers worked with our traffic
officers and the emergency services to re-open roads as quickly as possible
and provide assistance to road users in trouble.
"We constantly monitor the weather conditions to treat roads affected by
the snow and ice, ensuring our roads remain in a safe and serviceable
condition during the wintry weather conditions."
Councillor Mac McGuire, Cambridgeshire County Council's Cabinet Member for
Highways and Access, said: "I would echo Barbara Follett's praise for the
staff from all the agencies who worked so hard to keep the roads of
Cambridgeshire as clear as possible and the traffic on the move during the
recent extended cold spell. The County Council was well prepared for the
winter weather with additional stocks of grit and salt which enabled us to
cope with the national rationing or rock salt while at the same time
continuing to treat the major road network in the county."
