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Curve in the road

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RalphieHERH

Civil/Environmental
Dec 12, 2002
1
Cars keep leaving the road tangentially when driving conditions are poor. Also the road is surrounded by blueberry fields. These are economically valuable fields that are sensitive to salt wash. Make reccommendations on how to make this road safer for the travelling public.
 
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You said "when driving conditions are poor. Do you mean fog, rain, snow, darkness or other? This can clue you in to the specific problem.

Check advance warning signs. Add chevrons or delineators if needed. Is advisory speed correct? Are all signs in good condition, properly placed and retroreflective at night?

Check superelevation of road and correct if needed. Check pavement for polished aggregate or bleeding asphalt.

Salt wash? Do you mean problems occurr during ice & snow?

Calibrate spreaders on snow plows to better control amount of salt used. If crop damage is severe, investigate using acetates (CMA) rather than chlorides. Sand won't help - it's mixed w/ 10% salt to keep it from freezing, and you need almost 10 times as much. Also, the sand wash will clog drainage and affect soil, too.
 
From your description, it appears as though speed is an obvious factor. post a speed limit (as a warning versus regulatory), provide advance warning signage such as a flourescent yellow and reflective white emblazon with a description of the sign (sharp curve). Also, interlocking 24" or 36" concrete barriers with plenty of reflective devices should do the trick. When I looked after highways in a mountainous area, full of sharp curves, these devices were quite effective. I do not like to use straight salt on a road, rather I prefer a mixture of sand/salt. The salt will react to the ice, and the sand provides additional protection for frost glaring and black ice formation. KRS Services
 
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