New Beasley bluffs warning signs up and running
By Nelson Daily Staff
Motorists may not see the technology working on a sunny winter afternoon, but should road conditions deteriorate the new road signs at both entrances to the Beasley bluffs will warn drivers of the dangers ahead.
“They’re now up and running,” Hugh Eberle, District Operations Manager for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told The Nelson Daily.
Eberle, talking about the new technology that can detect ice crystals forming on the dangerous stretch of road on Highway 3A west of Nelson, said crews completed work to iron out a few bugs and now the system is operational.
The information on the signs warns motorists of unexpected icy conditions on the four-kilometer section of highway known as the Beasley bluffs.
The new technology can detect ice crystals forming on the highway, which transfers as information to both signs in a message “Slippery Sections Use Caution”.
The weather station located between the changeable warning message signs is the key to this technology, collecting and measuring data using electronic sensors.
The weather station gauges air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, snow depth, pavement temperatures and pavement condition.
The technology is already in use at Kennedy Lake, on Highway 4 near Tofino on Vancouver Island and on the TransCanada Highway at the Quartz Creek Bridge west of Golden.
Ministry staff said the installation at Kennedy Lake drew North America-wide attention in Transportation circles in 2011.
The warning signs are located in Taghum to the east of the bluffs and to the west near the Beasley Fire Hall.
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