Canadian Consulting Engineer: 2021 #CCEawards Showcase: Trans-Canada Highway Avalanche Mitigation

Rogers Pass is a transportation corridor amid a concentrated cluster of high-frequency avalanche paths.

Schreyer Award and Award of Excellence Winner: McElhanney

Glacier National Park, located 650 km east of Vancouver, is home to a unique transportation corridor, combining the Trans-Canada Highway, Canadian Pacific Railway and a concentrated cluster of high-frequency avalanche paths. Parks Canada Agency engaged McElhanney to improve the corridor’s safety and reliability by implementing industry-leading avalanche mitigation measures.

These solutions, integrated with an existing, complex avalanche control program, have reduced risk for roadway users and the railway and will help keep Canadians moving year-round.

Under Parks Canada Agency’s oversight, McElhanney—serving as prime consultant—partnered with Dynamic Avalanche Consulting to develop a new avalanche mitigation project along 43.8 km of the Trans-Canada Highway through Glacier National Park. The project began with an analysis of the existing avalanche program and identification of priority mitigations. The process also involved environmental and cultural resource considerations, unique procurement practices and construction management in challenging environments.

This article originally appeared in Canadian Consulting Engineer. You can read the full version here.