It takes a big team to keep our roads and bridges safe for travellers, but did you ever wonder who those people are or what they do? Well read on, because introductions are in order. Meet Cliff Razzo. He’s an area manager who works in Creston, British Columbia. And what does he do? Well,...
With a broad name like Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, there are bound to be questions. Like small-talk at a cocktail party, those 13 syllables beg the question: “So, what do you do?” Some of the work we do is probably pretty obvious, but some of it may surprise you. To help clarify our...
Here at TranBC, we love technology, and we’re constantly looking for new ways to make things easier and safer for you to get around. This year saw a lot of interesting developments, and we’ve got a summary of some of the top tech tales of 2012 here for your reading pleasure. Going Mobile DriveBC...
Avalanches are mesmerizing – at least from a safe distance, whether that be via video, photograph, or directly from a helicopter. No one gets closer to the action than our avalanche control technicians. They trek to remote mountainside avalanche weather stations (all 58 of them) and trigger blasts with strange-sounding equipment such as Gazex...
Q. What train can travel 70 possible routes over a glacier, from 2,500 metre-high mountain tops down to near sea level, in about 20 seconds? A. An “avalanche train” in Bear Pass. An avalanche train is the sudden release of a large mass of snow or ice. Triggered by natural or human forces, it...
We’ve had a lot of interest in our avalanche program lately, so we thought we’d give you an inside look at what goes on there. Meet Avalanche Tech Robb Andersen. Robb’s been working in avalanche safety since 1994, and he’s been with the ministry since 2004, working the snowy slopes in different areas throughout...
How We Trigger Avalanches to Make Our Roads Safer for Travellers The snow falls thick and fast, and the mountain slopes become more and more unstable. Is it enough to set off an avalanche? Luckily, if you’re driving the mountain passes in B.C., you don’t really have to worry about it, because our avalanche...
Our Avalanche and Weather Program team are on the job 24-hours a day to keep you and our roads safe. How? The best way is to show you. Check out this video and see first hand how we trigger avalanches and make our roads safer for B.C. travellers. For more info, visit our Avalanche...
Keeping You Safe From the (Tons of) Falling Snow Mountains are one of British Columbia’s most defining features, but those majestic snow-capped peaks can create some pretty hazardous driving conditions on our mountain passes during avalanche season, which typically runs from November to April. Thankfully, we have a team of fully qualified avalanche professionals...
Have you ever heard the term, “snow shed” and wondered what it is? Well, it’s not a place where we keep extra snow. Actually, it’s more like a tunnel – a concrete cover built over the road to protect traffic from avalanches. Snow sheds are designed to withstand the incredible forces involved with vast...
