Work has been underway and will continue throughout the weekend to prepare the Alex Fraser Bridge and the Port Mann Bridge for safe and efficient travel during winter weather conditions.

Bridge crews will be on site, working to clear and closely monitor both the Alex Fraser Bridge and the Port Mann Bridge to keep the two bridges safe for travel during winter conditions.

Crew members will perform precautionary safety measures as necessary, such as spraying 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 ministry has arranged to have a helicopter on stand-by in the event that it is needed to clear snow from the cables of the Alex Fraser Bridge.

If snow and ice accumulates on the Alex Fraser and engineers determine there is a risk to public safety, the ministry will deploy the helicopter, which would result in a temporary bridge closure for 2-3 hours. If deployed, the rotors would create strong gusts of wind to blast the snow accumulations off the cables.

Also, 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 pm to 4 am, so the impact to traffic will be minimal.

This testing has already been going on this week, as a ‘dry test run’ of the cable-collar drop system. If snow accumulations do occur, this will test the feasibility of the system under winter weather conditions.

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.

Metro Vancouver drivers are reminded to expect winter weather conditions on the roads, to drive carefully, to increase following distance to at least four seconds, and to check DriveBC for regular updates on their routes: www.drivebc.ca

The ministry will continue to keep the driving public informed of any traffic control activities via Twitter, DriveBC, and digital message signs.

Learn more:

Follow DriveBC on Twitter: @DriveBC

Follow TranBC on Twitter: @TranBC