In a community as large and with winters as harsh as Castile and León, Road safety during cold, icy, and snowy weather increasingly depends on data. And not just snowplows or salt spreading. The regional government has decided to give a new boost to this digital strategy by deploying more weather stations and sensors directly on the road.
The Board has put out to tender the installation of 18 new weather station units and road surface temperature sensors These systems are distributed across several strategic points of the regional road network. This initiative aims to complete the existing coverage, improve preparedness for adverse weather conditions, and ensure that traffic remains as safe and fluid as possible during the harsh winter months.
Strengthening the winter road control network on regional highways
According to information provided by the regional government, The contract has a budget of 135.000 euros and an execution period of six months.During this period, the 18 new pieces of equipment will be supplied and installed on regional roads, prioritizing sections that are sensitive due to their altitude, their exposure to snowfall, or the frequency with which they suffer frost.
This action is being driven by Ministry of Mobility and Digital TransformationThis is part of a broader effort focused on applying digitalization to winter road maintenance. The idea is to move from decisions based on experience and general forecasts to decisions supported by data measured on the ground and in real time, something especially useful in an extensive and very diverse road network.
The tender is not limited to placing devices in the ditch: It is part of a broader technological modernization strategy which seeks to improve both the response capacity of the maintenance teams and the information offered to the public about the condition of the roads during storms.
Alongside these new stations and road surface sensors, the Directorate General of Roads and Infrastructure maintains and expands other existing measurement systems, so that The 18 new points will be added to a network that reaches 145 deployed devices. throughout the community when the contract ends.
A project linked to Smart Rural Territory
The deployment of these 18 new pieces of equipment is part of the project Smart Rural Territory of Castile and León, a platform that allows monitoring of various public services in real time, including the management of regional roads during the winter.
Through this digital platform, Technicians can centrally consult the data sent by each weather station and each road sensorIt is possible to view information for a specific point or group it by zones, roads or provinces, which facilitates the planning of conservation work and the design of snow operations.
The equipment does not just measure whether it is cold or hot. They record multiple environmental and road surface parametersThis allows for much more precise decisions about when and where to act. In this way, reliance on general estimates is reduced, and more time is gained to anticipate risk events.
In practice, Smart Rural Territory works as the control panel from which the network of weather stations, road surface temperature sensors and de-icing agents are monitored, becoming a key tool for those responsible for winter road maintenance.
What do the stations and temperature sensors on the road measure?
The new equipment installed on the regional network is designed to provide detailed and continuous data about the environment. Among the variables being monitored are: ambient temperature, relative humidity, dew point, and atmospheric pressureThese are all factors that directly influence the appearance of phenomena such as fog, frost, or persistent snowfall.
In addition, the stations incorporate measurements of wind speed and other parameters that help assess the impact of strong gusts on circulationespecially on elevated or exposed sections. This information allows for adjustments, for example, to road surface treatments or the recommendation of specific restrictions when wind combines with snow or ice.
The most important element for winter safety is, by far, the temperature of the road surfaceThese sensors are installed in or very close to the road surface and allow real-time monitoring of whether the pavement is close to freezing, whether there is a risk of ice formation, or whether the salt is being applied effectively.
The information about the road surface is supplemented with sensors that monitor the volume of de-icing agents in silos and brine tanksThis way, those in charge know at all times how much salt or solution is available at each base, which facilitates logistics when several consecutive days of bad weather are expected.
Taken together, all this data allows for a finer management of winter roadsConservation teams can decide more precisely when to go out, which routes to cover first, how much product to apply, and when to reinforce an area in the face of a sudden worsening of conditions.
From 127 to 145 checkpoints: an increasingly dense network
Until now, the regional network of Castile and León already had 127 devices including weather stations and sensors linked to the road surfaceThese systems allow monitoring of both weather conditions and the state of de-icing agents stored in silos and brine tanks distributed throughout the community.
With the new contract, The network will be expanded to 145 control pointsThis represents a qualitative leap in the ability to observe what is happening on the asphalt over thousands of kilometers, especially in places where incidents due to snow or ice are more common.
The Directorate General for Roads and Infrastructure uses this data grid to Optimize winter road logisticsThey know in advance where frost is most likely to appear, which areas have been below zero for several hours, or which roads have already been treated with salt, all before the problems result in closures or accidents.
This increase in monitored points also reinforces, the capacity to inform the citizenThe data can be integrated into variable message signs, media alerts, or digital platforms, so that drivers know more precisely what they will encounter on the most problematic stretches of road.
The ultimate goal is that, thanks to this network of stations and sensors, Decisions regarding restrictions, detours, or preventative treatments should be made more quickly and with better justification.reducing both the risks to users and the costs associated with winter operations.
Location of the 18 new teams in Castile and León
The selection of installation points is based on technical criteria that take into account the altitude, the frequency of snow or ice episodes and the importance of each road in the regional networkThe new sensors and stations are spread across seven provinces: Ávila, Burgos, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria and Zamora.
In the province of AvilaThe new team will be located in the CL-610, kilometer point 70,560, in the municipality of Madrigal de las Altas TorresThis location joins other existing sites in the province, such as the port of Navalmoral, Hoyocasero or Las Navas del Marqués, where devices had already been installed in previous years.
En Burgos, surveillance is being reinforced in a special way in the port of La MazorraA busy route connecting to eastern Cantabria. Two new stations will be built there. CL-629, at kilometer points 44,300 and 84,750, in order to monitor in real time both the air temperature and the temperature of the road surface, humidity, wind or atmospheric pressure.
Province Palencia It will have three additional teams: one in the CL-615, km 90,215, near Guardo, and two others on provincial mountain roads, the P-210, km 36,006, in Cardaño de Abajo, and the P-225, km 30,323, in Valderrábano, areas where ice and snow are common during much of the winter.
En SalamancaThe deployment is especially visible, with four new teams intended to cover areas with different terrain and climate. They will be installed in the SA-100, km 5,113, in La Hoya; in the SA-104, km 23,280, in Gallegos de Solmirón; in the SA-201, km 24,450, in La Alberca; and in the SA-214, km 4,500, in Guijuelo, reinforcing mountain areas and communication routes relevant to the province.
Province Segovia will incorporate two more stations: one in the CL-605, km 15,440, in Puente Oñez, and another in the SG-323, km 14,200, in the vicinity of the Zuloaga ViewpointBoth points serve as a reference for coordinating actions on a road network where nighttime frosts are frequent.
En SoriaIn one of the provinces with the strongest snow tradition in the region, the mountain sections are being significantly reinforced. Equipment will be installed on the Oncala Port (SO-615, km 19,000)’s most emblematic landmarks, the Puerto de Santa Inés (SO-830, pk 17,000)’s most emblematic landmarks, the Puerto de la Carrasca (CL-101, km 16,000), Altos de Villasayas (CL-101, km 92,800) and the Alto del Mojón de la Lastra (SO-160, km 33,540), creating a very dense network in traditionally complicated areas.
Finally, the province of Zamora will benefit from a new device in the CL-612, km 69,830, in the Tierra de Campos region, an area where intense cold and frost can affect traffic even without large accumulations of snow.
The port of La Mazorra and other critical points under scrutiny
Within this deployment, some sections stand out due to their particularly problematic winter conditions. This is the case of the La Mazorra port, in northern Burgos, considered one of the most delicate passes due to its altitude and the frequency with which it suffers snowfall and ice patches.
With the installation of two new stations on the CL-629, Those responsible for road management will be able to monitor in real time the evolution of the surface temperature, wind intensity and humidityThis data is crucial for anticipating the appearance of ice and activating cleaning or treatment operations before problems affect users.
Something similar happens in Soria ports such as Oncala, Santa Inés or La Carrascawhere maintenance crews often work in rapidly changing conditions within a few hours. The presence of stations and road surface sensors will allow for better adjustment of machine deployment times and the amount of salt or brine needed at any given time.
In areas like La Hoya, Gallegos de Solmirón or La Alberca, in SalamancaThe combination of mountain terrain and low temperatures makes accurate road information especially useful to avoid surprises for drivers who travel these roads daily.
These critical points, for which constant readings will now be available, are thus integrated into a regional network that It allows for close monitoring of sections where a couple of degrees of difference can determine whether or not ice appears on the road., with the consequent impact on road safety.
More efficient winter road maintenance: from data to action
The purpose of all this technological infrastructure is clear: converting the data collected by the stations and sensors into quick and effective decisions on the groundThe information received by the Smart Rural Territory platform is translated into specific orders for conservation teams.
When road surface temperature readings approach freezing and are combined with humidity or fog, Road services may activate preventative treatments with salt or brine. in the most exposed sections, preventing the formation of the dangerous invisible layer of ice known as "black ice".
Furthermore, monitoring the level of de-icing agents in silos and tanks allows plan restocking further in advanceThis will prevent shortages during a cold snap. It reduces unnecessary travel and optimizes the use of available resources.
The combination of real-time data and the experience of the teams on the ground results in A more streamlined winter road system, with fewer blind actions and a more preventative than reactive approachUltimately, it's about acting before the situation gets complicated, instead of reacting to the weather.
All of this is part of a commitment to the digitalization of road infrastructure, which, without making a fuss, The way in which the maintenance of regional roads is managed is changing.especially during periods of extreme cold or prolonged snowfall.
With the addition of these 18 new weather stations and temperature sensors on the road surface, Castilla y León is moving towards a winter management model supported by a dense network of measuring points and a single monitoring platformThis translates into more information for technicians, greater anticipation capacity for the administration, and added safety for drivers who face snow, ice, and cold on regional roads every winter.
