I am surprised that more of us are not hurt/killed in the middle of the road. I put so much yellow/orange reflector tape & a big floppy orange flo clown hat so the drivers are pointing and laughing but at least they are looking at me.
It sure does get a feller's heart pumping dodging 35,000 vehicles per day in order to preserve monument positions.
so glad we don't do cl points here
The requirements for getting a driver's licence should include a couple of hours on site with a road works crew. Also, Police, enforcement agencies should show a presence and enforce the law at road works.
TxDot has been good enough to place deflectors along their centerlines and they are a good target for the prisimless guns.
I rarely get near the pavement at work and cross with the ATV at right angles
Richard Imrie, post: 434161, member: 11256 wrote: The requirements for getting a driver's licence should include a couple of hours on site with a road works crew. Also, Police, enforcement agencies should show a presence and enforce the law at road works.
Yes and a few hours on a ride along in a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), both of those should provide for safer new drivers.
SHG
Richard Imrie, post: 434161, member: 11256 wrote: Police, enforcement agencies should show a presence and enforce the law at road works.
They are afraid of getting run over! Smart people!
James
I hate working on the highway! (of course, I prefer to work away from people, so that just makes sense...) but we had to lay centerline last week. It was less than a mile along a not very traveled highway. When we arrived, they asked if we wanted them to set up barricades, and close the centerline, and get the crash truck out. I told them I could look both ways before walking out on the nearly deserted road, and be done much faster, put less lives at risk, and still get the job done. Took me about an hour. I figure just for them to cone the centerline off would have taken an hour and at least put 5 people out in the highway, nevermind the actual work of shooting it and then picking up.
Gosh! How time flies! It's been 20 years ago, I was working for a big engineering firm. Office work was slow so I was sent out with a field crew on a elevated interstate hwy flyover. I gave the crew chief plenty of space. We parked on the side of the roadway, got out and looked. I asked what were we going to do? We're gong to shoot lane strips. Are you crazy!!! Come here! Lets look at this. They're traveling 70 or 80 mph on this roadway. Lets count from when we first see a car or truck to when they get here. 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, and they were passing us blowing our hats off. No sir! I wasn't going to be road kill! The chief would bleed for the company. I backed up closer to the truck as he was standing there trying to figure out how to get us on the roadway. I spotted a mobile home hauler closing in on the chief with those extended mirrors sticking out. I yelled for him to get down!! He turned to look at me as the mirror hit the bill of his hat knocking it off. He turned white as a pale. Bring me back to the office! I went straight to the vp's office. Told him what was going on. He said he'll take care of it. I think they got DOT traffic control to close down lanes. I never went back on that site. I do know at 70 mph cars are covering 102.7 fps.
Closer to 30 years ago I had to tie a donation land claim corner (DLCs are the predecessors to the PLSS in western Oregon & Washington). The problem was that this beautiful little brass disk was located in I-205 on the skip line between the left and center lanes under an overpass. No lane closures, the PC was really old school. I still remember standing out their for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the radio signal that the tie was complete. I think the scariest thing was picking up cones. I've done some seriously crazy things in my life, including 170mph in a Ford Transit Van, but that one still stands out in my mind.
Now days it would be a cake walk. That section of the interstate is always at a stand still.
Brad Ott, post: 434159, member: 197 wrote: I am surprised that more of us are not hurt/killed in the middle of the road. I put so much yellow/orange reflector tape & a big floppy orange flo clown hat so the drivers are pointing and laughing but at least they are looking at me.
It sure does get a feller's heart pumping dodging 35,000 vehicles per day in order to preserve monument positions.
We don't work on centerlines here in NJ, with the exception of some really remote areas and when my crews have to pop manholes and/or inlets on even a moderately traveled roadway I insist that the client pay for traffic control and a Police officer to be present for the duration. The safety of my guys is paramount and while I surely do have the work to employ a one man crew with a robot I refuse to do so for the sake of safety. I've dodged allot of inattentive drivers when I was in the field and won't subject my guys to that.
