River Ice Measurements for Transportation Safety in Rural Communities

Abstract

This project is relevant to the cold areas of Federal Region 10, where transportation routes occur on the frozen surfaces of lakes and rivers for three to four months each year Transportation safety on ice roads is a complex problem that involves people, vehicles, river ice, and weather conditions. While all these factors must be considered, this study focused on river ice measurements for ice road construction and transportation safety. Ice thickness measurements are critical in determining the bearing capacity of river ice cover and assessing the risk of breakthrough on ice roads. The project team collaborated with the city of Tanana, a rural Alaska community that builds a winter ice road across the Yukon River to connect to the state road system.