DENVER, Colo. (AP) - Colorado transportation officials say they are impressed with the success of a remote avalanche control system and are considering expanding its use.
The Denver Post reports (https://dpo.st/1rTY8Ls ) that French-made Gazex exploders kept Berthoud (BERTH’-ihd) Pass on U.S. Route 40 open all winter. The system kept the pass free of avalanche debris from the Stanley and Loveland slide paths, saved money and limited workers’ exposure to dangerous explosives.
Crews used to fire about $200 Avalauncher cannon rounds on Loveland Pass each winter. This year, remote workers used computers to trigger the compressed air blasts from the Gazex system. They used fewer rounds with a higher success rate.
The Colorado Department of Transportation hopes to place the Gazex exploders on more of the 278 slide paths that could impact mountain roads.
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Information from: The Denver Post, https://www.denverpost.com
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