Tag: Transportation

Rumble Strips Help Keep Drivers Safe

Highway rumble strips are a not-so-gentle reminder of curves or other roadway changes, and safety is their primary objective. In fact, rumble strips do a pretty good job of keeping drivers safe. According to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), crashes were reduced on rural and urban two-lane roadways by 45% and 64%, respectively,… Read More »

Road Closed — But Engineers Are On The Scene

The culvert that carried Trout Brook under STH 13 at North York in Ashland County, Wisconsin, was washed out July 11 after torrential rains hit the area.   By Jeff Abramson, PE “All the roads into Mellen (Wisconsin) were closed this morning from washouts and bridges gone.” That daunting line in an Associated Press report… Read More »

Asphalt vs. Concrete: Not a Black and White Choice

The most basic way state and local transportation departments can decide whether to pave a road with concrete or to go with asphalt is pretty simple: Asphalt costs less initially, but concrete lasts longer. The overall trend of rising oil prices since 2000 has raised the price of asphalt and reduced its price advantage over… Read More »