Avalanche Control on US 2 (with Tanks)

The Washington State Department of Transportation uses several methods to protect drivers from avalanches along US 2 near Stevens Pass, including firing live artillery rounds at unstable snow to trigger avalanches while the roads are clear. Avalanche technicians usually fire the two M60 tanks near the summit at Stevens Pass between midnight and 6 a.m., but on Tuesday, January 09, 2013, WSDOT officials decided that the snow was unstable enough that US 2 needed to be shut down during the afternoon so that avalanche technicians could fire the tanks. www.heraldnet.com photos and video by Mark Mulligan