Maintenance service

To ensure safety, traffic flow, comfort, and assistance on the highway, Autovia Padana undertakes to deliver directly, by means of its own staff or third parties, some services that are typical of the tasks carried out under the concession.

The coordination of a large part of these services takes place through the operating centre, which continuously monitors the situation on the highway, tasking the personnel in charge of the individual services with solving, in case of necessity, the issues of the customers, or at least to reduce their discomfort.

Road paving

SOS columns

The entire section is equipped with paving in sound deadening, draining, high grip bituminous conglomerate. All junctions are provided with anti-slip road surface featuring high transverse grip.

These types of paving greatly reduce aquaplaning and the so-called “spray effect”, generated by the water dissipated by the vehicles.

They are located at a distance of about 2 km from one another, properly highlighted and numbered, placed outside the line of the barriers and surrounded by a metal structure, that ensures the safety of the user. They allow to communicate with the operator of our Operating Centre, who by means of a specific panel, identifies the exact origin of the call: this allows the timely intervention of roadside assistance operators. The service is available 24×7.

Lighting systems

The Company has installed suitable lighting systems in the critical sections and, in particular, a set of flashing yellow lights of various sizes, particularly useful in the event of fog, in order to indicate interchanges and stations where a moderate speed is recommended. A control system has been installed to ensure an efficient and rapid maintenance of the systems. It enables the Operating Centre to monitor failures and anomalies, so as to warn promptly the personnel in charge of the restoration of normal lighting conditions.

Fences and mowing of grass

To make the carriageway safe, avoiding, for instance, the risk of entry of animals, during the daily patrolling of the Ausiliari della Viabilità, it is checked the state of all the fences, with timely intervention if their restoration is necessary

According to the seasonal pattern, it is then carried out the periodic mowing of grass areas, so as to maintain in optimal state the various slopes.

Hygiene, rat extermination, washing of the lanes

In order to ensure a continuous and accurate prevention of infestations and a healthy environment, the company entrusts to a specialised company yearly operations of pest proofing, disinfestation and sanitization of motorway areas, open places and all related areas subject to possible pests. To the same end, washing and sanitizing operations outside the station buildings, the booths, the toll payment lanes and the facilities of the highway are regularly scheduled.

Cleaning and waste removal

To maintain a high standard of maintenance of the highway, the Company regularly schedules cleaning and disinfection of the parking and rest areas including emptying, replacement and maintenance of the wastebaskets, including those of motorway stations, cleaning of the slopes and of the emergency lane, and sanitising of ditches and drains under the highway.

Weather monitoring system

An automatic computerised system at the Operational Centre of the Company, connected to probes located along the highway, allows the collection of a real time set of data on weather conditions that may affect the safety of the traffic and accordingly activating the devices that allow to reduce the risks to the viability.

The weather data is then sent to the Meteorological Service of the Emilia Romagna Region, which processes it and integrates it with the meteorological measurements and provides local area forecasts for the next 72 hours.

This information is particularly useful in the scheduling of work areas and to provide reinforcements in the monitoring services of the infrastructure, in particular in the winter period.

Signage

The Company has chosen to indicate each motorway exit with a considerable number of signs with the dimensions specified by the Highway Code; they are placed at an appropriate distance from the exit, so as to allow the customer to be ready with due advance, avoiding abrupt braking. They are positioned on the side of the carriageway and on portals, adequately illuminated during the night hours.

The signage concerning the type of exit lane has been properly reviewed and enhanced with lighting in the night hours. All signage consists of high refractivity films and anti-fall supports. The visual result is remarkable, since it markedly improves the clarity of the signal.

A constant monitoring aimed at the rapid replacement of damaged signage is provided.

Triple wave central guard-rail

The replacement of all the old generation safety barriers with triple-wave guard-rails, featuring high performance standards, certainly provides a clear message about the commitment of the Company to ensure a high level of safety. The triple-wave guard-rails, certified as a result Crash Tests, have shown a great capacity of shock absorption and containment of vehicles by minimizing the possibility that vehicles go off the road or cross over the median.

Built with mechanisms that make impact less devastating in case of accident, they are also provided with a base barrier to prevent low vehicles getting stuck.