Thanks to heavy snow in the Western mountain states, Colorado has come up with a unique way to deal with avalanche prevention. On U.S. Route 550's Red Mountain Pass, the Colorado Department of Transportaion is blasting snow using a World War II-era howitzer. The DOT's John Palmer spoke with news station KOB: 

"If we keep these paths knocked down as best we can with explosives, that means it's less likely to come down in huge slab avalanches, which is one of the worst types," said Palmer.

His crew was working to meet another crew from the north in the middle Tuesday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation uses several techniques to bring down snow in a controlled manner. The least expensive and most effective is a 105-millimeter howitzer leased from the U.S. Army.

"What we are trying to accomplish is keep people safe," he said.

Crews set up the WWII weapon on concrete pads across Red Mountain Pass, aim at pre-determined target zones and let 'er rip.

The 40-pound missile can fly up to 7 miles, and when it lands, a secondary charge breaks up snow and sends it down the mountain.

So far the efforts have been successful, and workers are looking forward to their next high school reunion, because suddently a Department of Transportation job isn't looking so boring after all.