FENCING PARRIES WINTER'S THRUSTS

THE DESIGN AND PLACEMENT OF SNOW FENCES ALONG I-80 BETWEEN LARAMIE AND WALCOTT JCT. HAS PROVEN ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS FOR THE WYOMING HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT. FOUR DIFFERENT SIZES OF FENCE (SIX-, EIGHT-, TEN-, AND TWELVE-FOOT) ARE CALLED FOR WITH THE MAJORITY BEING TWELVE FEET HIGH. TWENTY-NINE SITES WERE STUDIED INDEPENDENTLY. WING FENCES ARE BEING PLACED TO PROTECT FILL/CUT TRANSITIONS AGAINST VARIABLE WINDS-SHORTER FENCES ARE USUALLY PLACED UPWIND OF THE TALLER FENCES TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW ESCAPING THE SYSTEM DUE TO LOFTING OR UPDRAFTS TO MAXIMIZE VISIBILITY IMPROVEMENT ALONG THE HIGHWAY. WHERE POSSIBLE, THE FENCES ARE PLACED ON THE TOP OF RIDGES AND HILLS RATHER THAN STEEP SIDEHILLS TO PREVENT STORAGE CAPACITY LOSS. FENCES ARE PLACED TO REINFORCE NATURAL SNOW ACCUMULATION AREAS, THEREBY INCREASING STORAGE CAPACITY. DESIGN OF THE SYSTEM INCLUDES PLACING FENCES TO KEEP DRIFTS OFF COUNTY ROADS AND EXISTING RANGE FENCES. VISIBILITY ALONG THE HIGHWAY HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY WITH STRETCHES OF CLEAR VISION, AS MUCH AS 500 FFET IN THE LEE OF FENCE SYSTEMS, PROVIDING THE MOTORIST WITH A WELCOME RESPITE FROM THE BLOWING SNOW WHEN DRIVING IN A GROUND BLIZZARD. BESIDES FEWER MAN HOURS, THE DEPARTMENT HAS USED FEWER TRUCKS TO COVER MORE MILES DURING THIS WINTER. NOT ONLY HAS THERE BEEN LESS ROTARY WORK ON THE HIGHWAY, THERE HAS BEEN LESS DEMAND FOR REGULAR BLADE- TYPE PLOWS DURING THE WINTER IN USE. IN ADDITION, CROSS SECTION SNOW DRIFTS BEHIND FENCES, FILM BLOWING SNOW CONDITIONS RECORD ALL MANNER OF WEATHER CONDITIONS AND OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF THE FENCE IN TRAPPING SNOW. THIS INFORMATION IS USED NOT ONLY TO DETERMINE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FENCE, BUT ALSO HAS MANY POSSIBILITIES IN THE SCIENCE OF FORECASTING BLOWNG SNOW CONDITIONS.

• Corporate Authors:

  The Highway

  ,    
• Publication Date: 1972-3

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 12-3
• Serial:
  • Volume: 22

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Drift; Forecasting; Snow; Snow and ice control; Snow fences; Snowfall; Snowstorms; Visibility; Weather
• Uncontrolled Terms: Blizzards
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218982
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 7 1972 12:00AM