Remote Avalanche Control Systems bring safer working conditions to Southern Colorado

Lizard Head Pass, CO

Facts

Project:	Remote Avalanche Control Systems bring safer working conditions to Southern Colorado
Place:	Lizard Head Pass, Colorado
Country:	USA
Year:	2020
Customer:	Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
Protected Objects:	Highway 145
Installed systems:	- 5x Wyssen Avalanche Towers LS12-5

Initial Situation

The Petersen and Yellowspings avalanche paths threaten Highway 145 just North of the small town of Rico in Southern, Colorado. Mostly out of sight from the road, these slide pathes are notorious for being difficult for the Rico CDOT Team to control. This road is a necessary thoroughfare for local communities as well as regional trucking. Previous methods of avalanche control were time consuming or weather dependent. Often, CDOT employees would need to drive or plow under slide paths to access control methods and CDOT depends on avalanche control to protect workers.

Our solution

Wyssen USA won the general contractor bid for equipment and installation of five Wyssen Avalanche Towers for Lizard Head Pass. In the late summer of 2020 a professional team of Wyssen employees fulfilled the installation. Five foundations were built and Wyssen towers installed on the foundations. That fall the CDOT team was trained on how to use the RACS. The deployment boxes were loaded and then flown via helicopter to the towers. Each tower was test fired before the inaugural season of the first Wyssen Avalanche Towers in Colorado. Initiation of the systems takes place through WAC.3^® online platform and works reliably despite poor cell network connection in the area, due to connection between towers and radio back up. With the installation of Wyssen Avalanche Towers to mitigate avalanche hazard to the road, avalanche control can be conducted remotely and CDOT employees can trigger avalanches out of harms way.

First Wyssen Avalanche Towers in Colorado

a statement from Brian Gorsage, CDOT State Avalanche Coordinator

These are the first Wyssen Towers to be installed in Colorado. Due to the large extent of roads and highways in the state threatened by avalanches, CDOT is looking for more solutions like this to make their avalanche programs more safe and efficient. Additionaly use of artillery will become more limited in the future. During the summer of 2020, CDOT purchased five Wyssen Avalanche Towers LS12-5. The professionalism of the Wyssen group has been outstanding. Due to the pandemic, we had a few logistical curve balls during this project. The completion of the project was on time and was operational by mid- November. In addition to installation, our crew received detailed training in seasonal commissioning and operations. Overall, the Wyssen Towers increased our efficiency and productivity during avalanche mitigation.

Brian Gorsage, CDOT State Avalanche Coordinator