After December 2012 severe weather event that left Vancouver metro area’s Port Mann Bridge caked in ice and snow resulting in over 300 vehicles damaged from falling debris across 10 lanes of traffic, it was clear to Canada’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure that an immediate solution was required.
They searched worldwide for existing solutions but discovered no other jurisdictions had managed to prevent snow and ice from accumulating on bridge cables. It was then that they assembled a team of experts in snow and ice, avalanche technicians and mechanical engineers to identify a custom protocol to avoid future snow and ice buildup on cables.
What the team came up with is as simple as it is brilliant. Monitors were installed to measure snow and ice secretion levels and when dangerous buildups are detected, specially designed collars (heavy duty chain link loops) are deployed down the cable stays.
The cable collar have proven quite effective over the years and watching them at work is highly enjoyable.
Here’s a POV of the bridge workers deploying the collars:
BC Public Service retrospective of the severe weather event leading to the creation of the new protocols:
