De-icing agent applied to local bridges for heavy snowfall

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SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Work is underway and will continue throughout the weekend to prepare both the Alex Fraser and the Port Mann Bridges so they’re safe to drive given the heavy snowfall in store.

Bridge crews will be on site, working to clear and closely monitor both spans. They will conduct precautionary safety measures like spraying a de-icing agent on the cross-beams of the Alex Fraser, and snow-clearing cable drops on the Port Mann. There may be single-lane closures on the Port Mann for crew safety while they work.

The province’s helicopter is also on stand-by in the event it’s needed to clear snow from the cables of the Alex Fraser Bridge, which is what happened during the last major snow event in December.

If snow and ice accumulates on the Alex Fraser and engineers determine there is a risk to the public, the ministry will deploy the chopper, which would result in a temporary bridge closure for up to three hours. If deployed, the rotors would create strong gusts of wind to blow snow accumulations off the cables.

“If snow accumulations occur on the cables of the Alex Fraser, the ministry will continue tests of the cable-collar drop system. The testing will only require single-lane closures, and work will be done on Friday night from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., so the impact to traffic will be minimal,” the ministry says in a statement. “This snow-clearing measure is being tested to see if it could be used on the Alex Fraser Bridge during future snow storms, to clear snow and ice from the cables. Any snow-clearing solutions would have to consider a number of factors, including design and angle of cables, and the configuration of the cross-beams and towers.”

The windshield of a driver who was hit with an ice bomb while travelling over the Alex Fraser Bridge.

Early in December, more than 40 claims were filed with ICBC after so-called ice bombs fell from the Alex Fraser Bridge.

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