From December 11 to 12, Yantai City, Shandong Province experienced a significant snowfall. The Yantai Highway Administration, considering public commuting needs, put people first, and made early preparations for snow removal, going all out to ensure smooth traffic. Snow removal and anti-slip operations on important sections of ordinary national and provincial trunk highways were basically completed before 7:00 on the 12th, achieving passage during snow and clearance after snow, which was well received by the public.

Key Sections

First Round of Snow Removal Completed Before Morning Rush Hour

"The snow on Guanhai Road of Provincial Highway 604 was cleared very promptly; my morning commute was not affected at all." On the morning of the 12th, Ms. Liu, a Yantai resident, gave a thumbs-up on WeChat Moments.

According to Zhang Jian, head of the Maintenance Section of the Laishan Highway Bureau, at 4:30 on the 12th, all snow removal personnel and machinery of the bureau began to assemble on the roads. Before 6:00, the first round of clearing and pushing operations was completed on sections such as Guanhai Road of Provincial Highway 604 and Laiyuan Road of Provincial Highway 208, and anti-slip materials were immediately spread, ensuring the safety and smooth flow of main lines. Subsequently, the bureau dispersed personnel and equipment for refined operations, focusing on intersections and interchange ramps.

"We basically completed the first round of snow removal and anti-slip operations before 7:00, ensuring safe travel for the public during the morning rush hour," Zhang Jian said.

It is understood that after the first round, in response to continuous snowfall and re-accumulation on the ground, the bureau's on-site snow removal machinery and personnel were dispatched again for a second round of clearing and anti-slip operations. By around 9:30, snow removal on key sections of ordinary national and provincial trunk highways was basically completed.

Over 1,500 Snow Removal Team Members

On Duty for 3 Consecutive Days and Nights

"Around 4:00 on the 12th, snowfall began in some areas of Yantai, mainly in Laishan, Zhifu, and other places, with local snow thickness reaching six to seven centimeters. Local highway maintenance personnel and machinery on duty were dispatched immediately, effectively clearing snow as it fell, achieving passage during snow and clearance after snow," said Li Zhong, chief engineer of the Yantai Highway Administration.

It is understood that this snowfall lasted relatively long. More than 1,500 highway snow removal commandos in Yantai had been on duty day and night since the afternoon of the 10th. Because of intermittent snow showers, they continued to stand by at their units on the night of the 12th. This snow removal duty lasted more than three days and nights.

"Snow is an order; ensuring traffic flow is our primary task for winter highway management and maintenance. To ensure timely snow removal on roads, maintenance teams are concentrated on standby, on duty 24 hours at their units," Li Zhong introduced.

As of 17:00 on the 12th, the Yantai highway department had dispatched more than 1,900 person-times and 358 sets of machinery and equipment. Due to timely snow removal, all ordinary national and provincial trunk highways in Yantai maintained two-way traffic.

Located in a "Snow Nest"

Snow Removal Machinery Parked Nearby

Due to the influence of geographical location, topographical features, and cold air types, Yantai is truly a "snow nest" compared to inland areas. According to meteorological statistics, winter cold-air snowfalls in Yantai account for 78% of total snowfall events, with an average of about 39 days of cold-air snowfall per year.

Although located in a "snow nest," Yantai Highway's "snow removal experience" is renowned nationwide. The "ring-trapezoid two-way operation method" pioneered by the Yantai Highway Bureau can clear snow in one go.

"With the original operation method, snow was easily piled up at lane boundaries, leaving dead corners and causing great inconvenience to driving," Li Zhong introduced. With the ring-trapezoid operation method, machinery can be reasonably arranged to work on half the road width at once according to road width. A grader leads the way, followed by loaders with snowplow blades arranged from left to right and back, with spacing between vehicles controlled at 10 to 12 meters depending on snow conditions. They respectively push snow from the overtaking lane, driving lane, and slow lane, and then start snow removal on the other half of the road.

"The 'ring-trapezoid two-way operation method' can complete snow removal on an entire half-width of the road at once, ensuring that snow in each lane is completely pushed to the roadside, with no omissions and no dead corners," Li Zhong said. With this method, machinery efficiency can be increased by 25%, and snow removal time saved by about 20%.

Currently, the Yantai Highway Administration manages and maintains more than 1,700 kilometers of ordinary national and provincial trunk highways, ranking among the top in Shandong Province in terms of maintenance mileage. Every year, the bureau revises and improves its snow removal and anti-slip work plan according to actual conditions, scientifically classifying the city's road network to ensure timely and rapid snow removal.

"We implement a system of responsibility by area, with a designated person responsible for snow removal and anti-slip work on each road section. We have also established snow removal and anti-slip commandos, with machinery parked nearby. Once heavy snowfall occurs, they can quickly get on the roads to clear snow and ensure smooth traffic," introduced Wang Yongjie, director of the Yantai Highway Administration.

To facilitate public access to the latest road condition information, the Yantai Highway Administration's official WeChat public platform "Yantai Highway" has set up a special travel service section, allowing the public to grasp the latest road condition information with one click through "Current Road Conditions."