Do heights make your palms sweaty? Knees weak? Arms heavy? Well, the workers who de-ice two major Metro Vancouver bridges have to brave an over 500 foot-drop (152 metres) without upchucking their mom’s spaghetti.
Earlier this month more photos were added to an ongoing album documenting how crews with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation keep ice from forming on the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges.
“Snow and ice can build up around the cables that support the bridges, becoming a safety hazard to traffic below if left to freeze, melt and potentially fall,” the album’s description reads. “To combat the risk, we developed cable collar systems as a mitigation measure to reduce snow and ice forming and falling.”
“During a winter event, Rope Access Technicians (affectionately known as RATS) release the collars from the top of the cables – manually by rope access on the Alex Fraser Bridge, or remotely, as is the case with the Port Mann Bridge. The collars, which are basically chains that fit around the bridge cables, remove snow and ice as they move down the length of the cables.”
Would you be able to do this job?
