DENVER (KDVR) — Every year, avalanches in Colorado threaten lives and impact travel, so the Colorado Department of Transportation developed a system that uses artillery to ensure avalanches don't cover major roadways.

But this year, CDOT is revamping the system to no longer use World War II-era artillery to clear possible avalanches from the east side of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels along Interstate 70. The agency tested the new system on Thursday.

CDOT will now use the Wyssen Avalanche Control system to perform avalanche mitigation work.

“This technology represents a major advancement in how we keep I-70 open and safe during Colorado’s harsh winter storms,” said Brian Gorsage, CDOT’s avalanche program manager, in a release. “Remote Avalanche Control Systems allow our teams t

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