Year-round protection against landslides in Gudvangen

County road 5623 and the ferry terminal in Gudvangen are at high risk of avalanches. In August last year, a major mudslide swept across the road. Just before Christmas, parts of the quay and charging station went into the sea. This summer, landslides and rockfalls have been recorded.

Road users are now protected all year round with world-leading technology. In early September, Cautus Geo installed the most complex and latest avalanche monitoring system ever developed.

Tested on Mannen

It's new, but also tried and tested. It has undergone long-term testing at Mannen and along the Bergen railway.

- It will provide continuous warning of all types of landslides all year round," says Lars Krangnes of Cautus Geo.

The system is called Cautus RADS, which stands for Rock and Avalanche Detection System, and has been under development and testing for several years.

- The development is supported by Innovation Norway and we are very excited to take it into a live project," says Krangnes.

The county road has been secured since autumn 2019. Avalanches have resulted in automatic traffic closures. Monitoring has now been extended to the whole year.

- We will get much more data than before. Even small vibrations will be captured and we'll have new camera solutions. This provides better visual control and can speed up the reopening of traffic," says Kristoffer Eggum Lerum of Vestland County Council.

Listening stations

Cautus RADS is based on newly developed sensor nodes that include geophones and 3D accelerometers. The sensor nodes listen to vibrations in the ground and are connected to a HUB where data is processed. Data is analysed continuously and any alerts are sent to Cautus Web and roadside lighting systems.

Traffic is stopped with a light warning. If the system detects small landslides, traffic is automatically reopened. Larger landslides require visual control via camera solutions. Everything is documented. Data is available in real time and in retrospect. This includes film of the incident.

- The sensitivity is great. Cautus RADS distinguishes between heavy traffic and moose tracks, but also captures small rockfalls and large landslides. "We are proud to have developed unique technology that also works in areas without internet and good power supply," says Krangnes.

Road traffic centre

Notification will go directly to the Road Traffic Centre. Avalanche events can be viewed on camera in real time and afterwards. Video of incidents is logged in Cautus Web.

- This means that the road can be reopened quickly, even in the event of major landslides, if the road surface is not covered by landslide debris," says Lerum.

The old geophone system in Gudvangen ended up in the sea in December last year.

- Back then, we quickly established temporary monitoring. Now everything is being upgraded. This includes the latest software, cameras and warning systems. And we've changed the location of the equipment. This provides increased security," says Lerum.

Equipment that is installed:

- Cautus RADS (with advanced sensors and real-time data processing, integrated camera recording and communication solutions)

- Cautus wireless geophone system

- Cautus Web

- Camera system