All this snow in the mountains means there's potential for avalanches. NDOT has been using some cool avalanche control measures for almost 3 decades…cannons!
“We do it day, night, snows coming down or it's not, so we'll shoot it maybe a couple times a day or every other day, depends on how much snowfall we get," said Matt Bradbury, Highway Maintenance Worker for NDOT.
These cannons have been in place since 1992, and are basically acting as a concussion blast. So instead of the kinds of cannons you may see on a pirate ship, these use gases.
“The mixture of oxygen and propane with an ignitor. It's set off by a supervisor in his truck through a computer that connects to the shelter up there," said Bradbury.
Blasting the snow off the side of the mountain is only the first step...as the real work of plowing the powder freshly dumped on the roadway begins.
"Every storm is different, we will shoot it after 6-8 inches of snow, because that side of the hill, all that stuff collects, and if a car comes through it and get's hit, that's quite a bit of snow that could be on top of them," said Bradbury.
These 3 are the only stationary cannons along mt. Rose highway. But for other trouble spots, NDOT employs the Mt. Rose Ski Patrol....and dynamite!
Snow and avalanche management is a tough job.... often with whiteout conditions and freezing temperatures. So crews ask you to be extra aware of the roadways and extra hazards that may pop up with snowy roads.
“If you see a plow coming, slow down and move over, a lot of people don't, they will pass us really fast. We are trying to make the road better conditions for them traveling over," said Bradbury.
NDOT tells us they could fire off these cannons multiple times a day depending on the snow...and while Mt. Rose Highway opened back up Wednesday afternoon, with whiteout conditions, crews say that could quickly change.
