THE CONFERENCE
Tuesday 27th
The International Conference on Winter Service started on Tuesday, June 27th with the opening ceremony that had the participation of Miguel Ángel Salvia, Vice President of the World Road Association - AIPCR /PIARC; Junichi Miyazaki, AIPCR/PIARC Technical Adviser; Didier Giloppe, President of the AIPCR/PIARC Technical Committee B.2 of Winter Service; Diego Kotlik; Sub-Administrator of the Mendoza Provincial Roads Administration; Nicolás Berretta, First Vice-President of the Argentine Roads Association; Germán Millán, President of the Chilean Association of Roads and Transport; Walter Bruning, National Director of Roads Administration of Chile; Juan Campana, Engineering and Operations Director of Argentina National Roads Administration, and Martin Kercher, Minister of Economy, Infrastructure and Energy of the province of Mendoza, who welcomed the participants, thanked the important attendance and presented the main guidelines of the event and the concerns related to the theme of the conferences.
Wednesday 28th
From 9am and during the whole day, the lectures organized in the technical program were developed with no inconveniences. The 200 lecturers present were able, among other things, to approach the reality of the current situation of the winter service in Argentina and Chile, as well as recognize the challenges to be faced in the future in both countries.
In addition, renowned international experts from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Peru, Poland, Canada and the United States presented their works and experiences related to the costs associated with winter service; the various forms of hiring and work; the needs of road users during winter; and the objectives and ways of measuring work performance in winter situations.
Thursday 29th
The International Conference on Winter Service continued on Thursday with more presentations of excellent technical level. The morning had a block especially dedicated to work on anti-ice strategies and snow removal, where international experiences were presented on the use of salts and new products to prevent ice on the road, and novel ways of working on strategies for prevention of snow accumulation.
There were also presented experiences on urban winter service, both nationally and internationally, and progress was shown in the development of equipment and machinery, as well as work experiences in the mountainous areas of northern Norway.
The technical lectures ended with the presentation of the project "Cristo Redentor System Integration Corridor" where it was possible to appreciate the important work that will be carried out in the mountains of Mendoza.
Friday 30th
The International Conference on Winter Service ended with a day-long technical visit to the
Andean Corridor of National Route No. 7 and to the “Cristo Redentor” International Tunnel.
More than 120 congressmen participated in this visit, and they had the opportunity to learn and see the facilities and equipment that the Argentina National Roads Administration have in the towns of Uspallata and Puente de Inca.
In addition, they got to know and cross the Cristo Redentor International Tunnel, visiting the tunnel control and operating room of the Chilean sector, and also they had the opportunity to enter in the “Caracoles” tunnel, the former rail tunnel, which is now part of the "Cristo Redentor System Integration Corridor" project.
