- Campus
- 06/01/2026
TU/e campus all but impossible to clear of snow
Despite the efforts of six staff members and an additional snow-clearing cart, it proved impossible to make the campus roads free of snow and ice on the first working day of the new year. The gritting service was on site at five in the morning on Monday, but to no avail.
For Bram Verstappen, an employee at De Enk, the company responsible for maintaining the TU/e grounds, the Christmas break was anything but carefree. For several days, he and his colleagues were busy dealing with winter conditions that caused slippery surfaces on campus.
In consultation with TU/e grounds manager Thijs Mooren, De Enk began spreading grit around the residential towers and on the bridges from December 24 onward to prevent people from slipping. “In hindsight, it wasn’t necessary; we had dry frost. But you don’t want to take any risks,” Verstappen says.
But from January 2 onward, the frost was no longer ‘dry’ at all. When many students and staff returned to TU/e for the first time after the Christmas break on Monday, a thick layer of snow covered the campus. De Enk worked flat out all day with six employees, sweeping, spreading grit, and repeating the process, but it wasn’t enough.
“It was an uphill battle,” Verstappen explains. “New snow kept falling.” When he drove onto campus at five o’clock on Monday morning, he felt almost like the last person on earth. That was a strange sensation for him.
No salt
This week, De Enk is responsible for keeping the area around the residential towers, the paths, and the bridges on campus free of snow. TU/e’s main contractor Heijmans takes care of ice control on the road network and hires company M. Heezen for the main roads on the university grounds.
The fact that many roads, stairs, and paths are still covered may actually be for the best, Verstappen knows. “Under the snow, there was already ice in many places. Then it’s safer to leave the snow in place; it still provides some grip.”
Because many of the tiles on campus are so-called Schellevis tiles—decorative concrete paving—De Enk’s staff are not allowed to use salt. “We use chemical de-icing pellets. Salt makes the concrete porous, which can cause it to break later on. Or it leaves ugly marks.”
Verstappen is not satisfied with Monday’s results. “It’s still too slippery.” He does not believe the problem is a lack of staff. “Even with twenty people, we wouldn’t have managed to improve the situation. There was simply no way to keep up with the sweeping.” He hopes that temperatures will rise above freezing toward the end of the week, so that all the ice will melt on its own.
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor
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