Item: WINTER OPERATIONS IN ANDORRA'S ROADS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
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Title: WINTER OPERATIONS IN ANDORRA'S ROADS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2024, Tromsø, Norway
Authors:
- Sergi Riba [ Nivorisk-Hydroalpin ]
- Thomas Berger [ Mnd Safety ]
- Carles García Sellès [ NIVORISK SL - HYDROALPIN ]
- David Palmitjavila Duedra [ Conservació i Explotació de Carreteres (COEX)- Govern d'Andorra ]
Date: 2024-09-23
Abstract: For approximately 15 years, the Government of Andorra has been tendering and contracting (every six years) winter control against the risk of avalanches on Andorra's main road network; currently the company responsible for this control is Nivorisk SL. whose mission is zero casualties due to avalanche risk, both for the population and for the workers executing the contract themselves. The set of actions carried out can be summarized in four main points: 1- monitoring and control of snow and meteorological conditions, with different intensities depending on short- and medium-term forecasts; 2- risk assessment for the road network and for people/infrastructure; 3- Implementation, closure and intervention (if necessary) of the different artificial triggering devices; 4- Analysis and updating of the different PIDAs as well as the avalanche register affecting roads. The control zones are distributed in areas of the northern and the eastern side of the country. There are 3 major areas of vital strategic importance for the protection of main roads and access to ski slopes, where Gazex®-type preventive triggering systems are available: Les Fonts d'Arinsal (with 3 shelters and 9 exploders), La Guardiola (with 3 shelters and 8 exploders) and L'Hortell (with one shelter and 3 exploders). Currently, all Gazex® systems of the Government of Andorra operate through new generation communication satellites (Type4), designed to offer communication redundancy (radio and/or 3G-4G), operating by the MyMND/Safety web-based control system, which allows connectivity to work from any Internet access point, giving the safety operator user freedom and flexibility in its daily operation. This centralization and modernization of the preventive triggering systems (Gazex®) together with the analysis of the historical records and through the modeling carried out by the Swiss 3D numerical model (RAMMS), allow us to optimize the closing and opening times of the different roads, guaranteeing at all times both acceptable and residual danger and risk thresholds in terms of probability of loss of human life.
Object ID: ISSW2024_P10.2.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Carles Garcia Selles
Keywords: winter operations; forecasting, gazex, triggered avalanche.
Page Number(s): 1354 - 1359
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