In the midst of the coldest time of the year and in view of the intense snowfalls recorded in recent weeks, the Ministry of Public Works, through National Roads, deploys the Comprehensive Winter Maintenance Plan (PIMI)which aims to guarantee traffic and safety conditions for all types of vehicles to allow each user to reach their destination.
The PIMI contemplates the maintenance of more than 7,500 km of 11 national routes belonging to mendoza and the five Patagonian provinces: Chubut, Neuquen, Black river, Santa Cruz Y Land of Fire. The initiative consists of the presence of specialized personnel and the deployment of state-of-the-art road machinery at different strategic points to ensure passability along national routes in the event of ice and/or snow remaining on the road.
According to a statement from the ministry, in 2021 the national government made a strong investment in equipment through the Federal Road Strengthening Plan. Of the almost $14,000 million invested to acquire state-of-the-art machinery, $7,188 million were allocated to road equipment, of which 262 million have already been delivered to the districts involved in the PIMI.
Among the main tasks of the plan is the snow clearance to prevent its accumulation on the routes and, in this way, guarantee the circulation and transport of cargo that supplies the towns of Mendoza and Patagonia. Other important tasks include irrigation with antifreeze liquid or saline solutionand the salt distribution to remove ice from the road. In turn, on the routes with gravel sections, mud cleaning work is carried out to prevent the formation of swamps due to the melting of the snow.
Meanwhile, the higher intensity work They take place in Neuquén on national routes 231 and 242, which connect with the Cardenal Samoré and Pino Hachado border crossings, respectively. In Mendoza, the same is done on RN 7, in the Cristo Redentor System, and RN 145 in Paso Pehuenche, both on the border with Chile. Columns of up to four or five meters of snow tend to accumulate in these areas in a single day.
All the logistics and coordination of the PIMI is carried out through joint work with other national, provincial and municipal agencies, such as the National Gendarmerie, security forces and provincial roads, National Parks, civil defense, ARSAT, and the National Meteorological Service, among others.
Winter Corridor of Andean Patagonian Lakes and Forests
Within the framework of the Second National Meeting of the PIMI, organized in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche in March of this year, the Winter Corridor of Lakes and Andean Patagonian Forests was presented, which is located in the mountain range and foothills of the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut and includes national routes 40, 237, 22 and 259.
During the winter season, these routes require the joint work of the three districts of National Roads to ensure their passability. Based on the Federal Road Strengthening Plan, the body dependent on the Ministry of Public Works delivered new machinery with the purpose of increasing response capacity in localities such as Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, Villa La Angostura, Zapala, Piedra del Águila, Junín de los Andes, El Foyel, El Bolsón, Lago Puelo, El Hoyo, Epuyén, Esquel and Trevelin.
The Winter Corridor of Lakes and Andean Patagonian Forests forms a region with heavy tourist influx in winter, which adds to the trade of products both nationally and internationally. From its institutionalization, Vialidad Nacional is established as the actor responsible for the PIMI, and is positioned as the cornerstone that will carry out the coordination and communication with the agencies and the community in general.
Recommendations before starting a trip
Users verify the status of national routes that is available in the National road page. They may also contact the User Service Center from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by calling 0800-222-6272 / 0800-333-0073, or via email to [email protected].
