Tag:avalanche_protection=snow_bridge
 avalanche_protection = snow_bridge
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| Description |
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A man made structure to keep avalanches from going off or to stop them early on. 
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| Group: man made |
| Used on these elements |
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| Useful combination |
| See also |
| Status: de facto |
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This tag is used to map a certain kind of construction erected to protect hamlets, roads, pistes etc. from avalanches. These so-called snow bridges (Stahlschneebrücken in German) make a very prominent appearance in the landscape.
Snow bridges consist of several metal 'rails' supported by cross-members and held by mostly metal, rarely wooden struts at an angle to the ground. Snow accumulates on the metal rails. Usually several are used together to ensure that snow accumulation will not lead to sliding in the zones between the structures.
See also
- Avalanche protection - overview with more information
- avalanche_protection=*
- man_made=avalanche_protection
- man_made=snow_fence
- man_made=snow_net
Notes
Snow bridges are also tagged barrier=avalanche_protection. Though, using man_made=avalanche_protection as top level tag allows to differentiate snow bridges from other barrier like provisions for the same sake, e.g wall- or embankment-like berms and dams and still make their relatedness obvious. Additionally, this tag here does not claim, that snow bridges are predominantly barriers, as they not only block movement from passing over them, but keep snow in place, so it does not start to move.
A third way of mapping snow bridges, is starting from a fence and adding fence=avalanche to it. Though very simple, it is a little less common; The difference in total number gets even smaller still, if obvious data imports are taken out of the comparison.
This tag here can be combined with both of these or additionally be tagged barrier=fence, as indeed, even if the feature was not created as a means to channel human or animal traffic, once erected, it acts that way.
The man_made version is observed in the data[1] starting somewhere in 2011.