New system aims to clear ice and snow from cables of Alex Fraser Bridge

B.C. plans to install a new $5-million cable collar system on the Alex Fraser Bridge to prevent falling ice from threatening drivers and their vehicles.

The Transportation Ministry is now seeking tenders for the plan, which would clear snow using a series of rings that slide down the bridge's cables, sweeping away snow and ice.

"Last winter, snow and ice on the Alex Fraser Bridge's cables forced several closures, which inconvenienced thousands of commuters. Adding a cable collar system to clear snow will improve the reliability of the bridge," Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said in a news release on Wednesday morning.

The province placed a helicopter on standby last December to help de-ice cables after the bridge was closed twice in one week. Several drivers reported that their windshields were smashed by the falling ice and slush.

The tender for the new collar system closes in September, and the province expects it to be installed on the bridge by the end of December.

Evidence from other Metro Vancouver bridges suggests cable collars aren't a foolproof solution to the problem, however.

A similar system was placed on the Port Mann Bridge after "ice bombs" crashed through a number of windshields in 2012. But some drivers still reported ice falling from that bridge last winter, prompting then-transportation minister Todd Stone to pledge that the collars would be deployed more frequently, before snow is allowed to accumulate.

Meanwhile, the B.C. government also announced Wednesday that a new counter-flow lane will be added to the Alex Fraser in an attempt to reduce congestion. The new lane is part of a $70-million project to expand the bridge's capacity.