BC expected to explain how to make Port Mann winter-friendly
Posted January 21, 2013 7:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – The province is expected to announce today how it’s going to stop another ice bomb disaster from happening on the Port Mann Bridge.
The Transportation Investment Corporation has already started installing sensors on the approaches and bridge deck.
There will also be a camera and a weather station installed on the south tower so crews can watch for accumulating snow and ice on the cables above the bridge.
“There are many solutions that one can think about,” Carlos Estuardo Ventura with UBC’s Civil Engineering Department tells News1130. “One can start by installing a series of sensors throughout the bridge to monitor climate changes and with that, one can issue a warning and close the bridge.”
Hundreds of people filed claims with ICBC, saying their cars and trucks were damaged when snow and ice fell from the cables on December 19th.
Two people were hurt and the bridge was closed for several hours.
A few weeks later there were several crashes involving 40 cars in a single morning. The bridge deck was coated in black ice at the time.
“We have a very good bridge and it has been designed according to the art of engineering,” saya Ventura. “Unfortunately, this situation happened. The best thing to do is tackle the problem, solve it, and get the bridge to work as expected.”
TIC says the bridge is now patrolled continuously when there is snow or sub-zero temperatures in the forecast.
