Metro Vancouver snow: Watch how crews prevent 'ice bombs' from falling on local bridges
With Metro Vancouver seeing its first snowfall at the city level, the province is preparing to clear buildup on local bridge cables to prevent so-called "ice bombs" from falling.
B.C.'s Transportation Ministry said in an update Friday that contractors are ready to use cable collars to clear snow and ice from the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges as needed.
The collars were installed after an "ice bomb" fiasco in 2012, which damaged about 350 vehicles on the Port Mann when built up snow and ice fell from the collars, shattering windshields. Similar incidents have been reported on the Alex Fraser Bridge in recent years, even though the provincial ministry says "falling ice and snow (was) a rare occurrence for the first 30 years of its operation."
The cable collar system was installed in 2018 and includes 10 collars, but they require manual operation by rope-access technicians to clear the cables. The Port Mann Bridge also now has snow-clearing collars on each of its 288 cables.
The ministry says the collars "are basically chains that fit around the bridge cables." As they move down the length of the cable, they remove ice and snow. It takes less than a minute for the collar to travel to the bottom of a cable.
Technicians then manually detach the collars from the cables, move them back to the bridge tower and "hoist them back up to the top of the cables," the ministry says. Outside lanes on the bridge are temporarily closed while the clearing happens.
"In the years that cable collars have been used, they have been successful in removing most of the snow on the cables. However, some snow may be shed naturally from the cables as the weather warms or if it is blown off," the Transportation Ministry said in a statement.
"To better prepare for the weather conditions that lead to falling ice and snow, the ministry has taken steps to improve its weather forecasting and will be activating the cable-collar systems sooner in a weather event."
Before those were installed, the Transportation Ministry used other creative approaches to clear the cables, including a chopper that was flown overhead to blow away snow and ice on at least one occasion in 2016.
Dozens of insurance claims have been filed because of damage from the ice bombs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.