DENVER (KDVR) — Every year, avalanches in Colorado threaten lives and impact travel, so the Colorado Department of Transportation developed a system that uses artillery to ensure avalanches don’t cover major roadways.
But this year, CDOT is revamping the system to no longer use World War II-era artillery to clear possible avalanches from the east side of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels along Interstate 70. The agency tested the new system on Thursday.
CDOT will now use the Wyssen Avalanche Control system to perform avalanche mitigation work.
“This technology represents a major advancement in how we keep I-70 open and safe during Colorado’s harsh winter storms,” said Brian Gorsage, CDOT’s avalanche program manager, in a release. “Remote Avalanche Control Systems allow our teams to work more safely, more efficiently and with far less disruption to drivers traveling this critical mountain corridor.”
The new system uses remotely deployed charges to influence a large section of snowpack with a few shots, rather than artillery methods. CDOT currently has five Wyssen units in southern Colorado that have been proven to improve safety and operational speed.
With the system now installed near the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on Interstate 70, CDOT will be able to mitigate avalanches between mileposts 211 and 312 before ski traffic begins each morning — something previously not possible, as Howitzer operations required daylight.
“This installation is part of our ongoing effort to strengthen safety and resiliency across Colorado’s mountain highways,” said Gorsage. “Remote Avalanche Control System technology allows us to protect both motorists and our teams while keeping traffic moving.”
The project cost about $800,000, according to CDOT.
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