SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. – The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced new technology implemented at Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 to improve controlled avalanches, safety and road delays.

The objective is to trigger an avalanche safely and in a controlled manner, so as not to harm or disrupt drivers and allowing time for clean-up before the interstate can reopen.

Since the 1980s, artillery systems have been used to trigger controlled avalanches along the pass. These systems included rifles, tanks and even a World War II-era Howitzer artillery gun loaned by the U.S. Army.

“Launching artillery was no small task,” WSDOT said in a blog post. “Set up alone could close I-90 for up to six hours before firing the first shot. Preparing for extended closures requires significant time

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