INNOVATION January-February 2016

f ea t u r e s

In Europe, says Schlotfeldt, “the population density is so high in places like the Alps, with significant development and infrastructure right under rockfall and avalanche hazards. That pushed them into doing a lot of research decades ago on mitigation measures, like high-tensile wire-mesh rockfall fences that are flexible but able to stop rockfall and contain it, and compacted soil berms that have good energy absorption properties. Europe and Japan also use concrete galleries over highways to protect road users.” The galleries are called rockfall protection sheds and—in avalanche areas—snow sheds or bridges. Similar rockfall and avalanche fences, berms and sheds are now in use in various places throughout BC, but sometimes our terrain means they simply won’t work. “No structures would work for a rockfall like Angel’s Crest’s,” says Schlotfeldt, “with 3,000 square metres free-falling over 300 metres. If BC Parks had installed fences or galleries, the boulders were so big and the volume was so high, they’d have just destroyed them.” Cost has also been a factor in delaying the installation of more European- or Japanese-style protection structures here. In the past, Canadian government agencies and industrial operations had trouble justifying spending millions of dollars to install structures to protect just a few people from a disaster that might never happen. Now, however, with increased industrial and commercial presence in avalanche terrain, interest in both protection structures and other long-term control measures is increasing. Places like the Trans-Canada Highway at Rogers Pass, with frequent avalanches and a lot of vehicle traffic, have had good success with protective structures like snow sheds since the highway opened in 1962. In the future, “BCwill likely needmore protective structures if current plans for big mines and large energy projects go ahead,” says Brian Gould, P.Eng., of Alpine Solutions Avalanche Services. As well, in today’s faster- paced society, “people are more aware of, and have lower tolerance for, lengthy highway closures.”That means there’s more political pressure than ever to prevent damaging rockfalls and to control avalanches. I n avalanche country specifically, “the first thing you try to do is avoidance: you try to identify and avoid hazards by, for example, putting the road on the less hazardous side of a valley,” says Alan Jones, P.Eng., of Dynamic Avalanche Consulting Ltd. “If you can’t avoid a hazardous area, you try active mitigation with things

Fencing ( top and middle ) and sheds ( bottom ) safeguard slopes and valleys in the Swiss and French Alps. Europe and Japan are far ahead of Canada in development and deployment of rockfall and avalanche protection structures. P hotos : top and middle , B rian G ould , P.E ng .; bottom , P hillip M innis , i S tock .

OQM Organizational Quality Management Program The following organizations have recently received OQM Certification. To find out more, visit apeg.bc.ca/oqm.

Aboriginal Energy Solutions Inc. Bush Bohlman & Partners LLP

Horace Engineering Ltd. MMM Group Limited Paragon Engineering Ltd. SGB Services Ltd. TDB Consultants Inc. Wedler Engineering LLP

DMD & Associates Electrical Consultants Ltd. Ecora Engineering and Resource Group Ltd. Gifco Engineering Ltd. Hillside Engineering Services Ltd.

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