This week, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) tested remote control avalanche equipment including new wirelessly operated towers that drop explosives to prepare roads and highways for winter.
UDOT tested remote avalanche control system (RACS) in Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon, where Wyssen Avalanche Towers were recently built. Over the summer, 16 towers were installed on the Mount Superior ridge line in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
UDOT said it triggers avalanches that may threaten roads in the Beehive State. In the past, UDOT said 330 controlled avalanches were triggered each season using howitzers.
“This training exercise gives us an opportunity to make sure our new equipment is working properly to handle the unique challenges of the canyon,” said Steven Clark, UDOT Avalanche Safety Program manager, in a statement to ABC 4 News.
With the new towers, UDOT said in a press release that it will be able to trigger avalanches with “greater efficiency” compared to the previous use of howitzers, which are a type of heavy artillery weapon.
To trigger an avalanche, UDOT said Wyssen towers use wireless communications to deploy explosive charges that hang over the ground.
“The new RACS discharge explosives at the towers and are detonated remotely, allowing for more efficient and safe avalanche mitigation for workers and the public when previously UDOT was shooting live artillery over the road and buildings in the Town of Alta,” said UDOT in a press release.
In Little Cottonwood Canyon alone, there are 64 slide paths — threatening more than half of the road, according to UDOT. The department also said 50 buildings and 76% of the road through Snowbird and the town of Alta are in avalanche paths.
“Our top priority is ensuring the safety of everyone traveling through the Cottonwood Canyons,” Clark said.
UDOT reminded drivers that parking is not allowed in designated avalanche zones from Nov. 1, 2024, until May 15, 2025.
Source: ABC 4 News, MSN.com
