Hydro Quebec Romaine-4 Avalanche Barrier System
brian gould
Alpine Solutions recently completed the design and layout of the largest single point anchor avalanche barrier system design in North America. The barriers were installed on a slope that threatens infrastructure at the ‘Romaine-4 dam’ - the 4th in a series of large dams being constructed in Quebec near the border of Labrador. Called ‘the biggest construction project in Canada’ by some, the series of dams is expected to generate more than 1550 mW of electricity for Hydro-Quebec and their clients.
Drawing from our significant experience designing and laying out the Rogers Pass Cougar Corner snow net system in 2017, we were able to use advanced GIS techniques and high resolution drone based Lidar data to complete much of the design on the desktop. The barrier design was completed early in 2019, with layout and installation of the 42 barriers occurring in September and October 2019. Although the system didn’t receive the brunt of the east coast ‘snowmaggedon’ storm that occurred in January 2020, the snow that did arrive on site this winter was abundant, and was well supported by the system.
