Ever wonder what these huts on the side of the Coquihalla Highway are?
If you drive down the Coquihalla Highway you might notice these structures which look like huts.
They're curious looking structures and while many people remember they were used for avalanche control, they have been out of commission for 25 years.
“The pictured huts were the gun decks for the 105 mm recoilless rifles the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure used for avalanche control after the Coquihalla Highway was built,” the ministry said.
B.C. Parks and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, sometimes with help from the Canadian Armed Forces, use cannons and explosives dropped from helicopters to blast away packed down snow before it becomes an avalanche risk.
The ministry started using explosives for avalanche control more than 50 years ago. These hut looking platforms have not been used for more than 25 years because the ministry stopped using the type of rifle which fits on these gun decks, now they sit by the road and only serve to confuse curious commuters.
Today, the ministry closes the Coquihalla Highway and uses explosives dropped from helicopters to blast away snow.
Find out more about avalanche control in B.C. here.
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