From KMOV-TV, St. Louis, Sept 3, 2010: 

Some drivers are failing to stay in their lane, creating a potentially dangerous situation. I’ve been checking on this and have talked with MoDOT and with drivers. The problem appears to be with motorists who aren’t paying attention or drivers who are going through the construction zone for the first time.  [emphasis ours]

MoDOT says it hasn’t had any formal complaints and the Missouri Highway Patrol hasn’t investigated any accidents in the construction zone.

MoDOT is warning drivers to be alert on this construction zone because the lane shifts will change every two weeks until the work is completed around the first of December.”

Go here for the article and video.  

Two points: 

1.)  DOTs consider lane changes one of the 3 major causes for crashes in work zones.  The other two?  Speeding, and failing to maintain distance.  

2.)  We have a product to alert drivers, especially distracted ones:  RoadQuake temporary portable rumble strip.  They might be effective here, especially because the lane changes will occur every 2 weeks.  For more information, visit us at www.plasticsafety.com.

We applaud TX DOT for launching construction projects to make sidewalks ADA-compliant.

We have added this article to our blog to stress an important point. 

The goal of the construction, of course, is an ADA-compliant sidewalk. 

However, the contractors have installed non-ADA-compliant barricades to close the sidewalk itself.   

Nor do we see, admittedly from the limited perspective of the photograph, an alternate, or temporary pedestrian access route, (TPAR) which is also an ADA requirement.

We manufacture SafetyRail, an ADA-compliant pedestrian barricade that contractors can use for both the sidewalk closure barricade, and the TPAR device, to guide pedestrians safely through the work zone.   

Please visit the main site, or www.adabarricade.com, for more information about SafetyRail.

Great advice from Ohio DOT: 

“ODOT, meanwhile, is reminding drivers that road construction season still is in full swing, meaning motorists need to continue leaving a clear distance between vehicles, reducing speed and staying alert — especially in work zones.”

Read the entire article here.

This is a great idea, and becoming ever more popular, it seems. 

From the article:

“With five huge highway construction projects underway in Northern Virginia, drivers are facing plenty of red brake lights amid orange barrels. With the hope of keeping motorists moving, the Virginia Department of Transportation has added seven safety service “patrollers” to…assist stranded motorists and move their vehicles out of the way.”

Read the entire article here.

From the TRB e-mail newsletter, published today:

“The U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Operations has launched a new page on its Work Zone Safety website designed to be a central source of data and links to information and technical resources on roadway worker safety.”

The new web page is here.

To subscribe to the weekly TRB e-mail newsletter, go here.

Forcing a mother, pushing a baby stroller no less, and her children into the street seems a little dangerous, don’t you think?

We don’t believe that the work zone described here would meet ADA requirements, which mandate that contractors must provide safe pedestrian access routes (PAR) through construction work zones.  If contractors cannot use an existing route, they must provide a temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR).

That said, contractors must use ADA-compliant temporary traffic control devices, or TPAR devices, to provide safe, continuous guidance through the work zone.

We manufacture and market SafetyRail Pedestrian Barricade, an ADA-compliant TPAR device. For more information, please visit www.adabarricade.com, and download our SafetyRail Product & Compliance Guide.

From the article, which is a salute to the American construction worker:

“Many people may not realize it but the construction industry is the most dangerous work on land outside of the military.”

Read the entire article here.

From the article: 

“Sixty-nine citations for violation of a traffic control device have already been issued…[f]ifty -nine of the charges will be dropped, according to the city prosecutor’s office.”

And why is that?  “Of those 69 citations, a large majority of them are going to be dismissed because of improper marking in the construction zone,” [Lt. Tony] Hetrick [Bowling Green PD] said. “It wasn’t as secured as it maybe should have been.”

We notice, at least in this picture, among other issues, there is no temporary pedestrian access route (TPAR).

Read the entire article here.

From the link: 

“Neighbors in a Pittsburgh neighborhood said they are unhappy with a man’s sidewalk construction that forces people to walk in the street.”

At the link, you’ll see a local news video from WPXI.  It’s only 1:44, and worth the time, as you’ll see a classic, and dangerous, non-ADA-compliant sidewalk closure.

From the Kansas City Star: 

“Work-zone safety for drivers is back in the spotlight after three recent crashes…”

Read the entire article here.