Special to The SUN
The Colorado Department of Transportation and Surface Preparation Technologies will be adding centerline rumble strips along sections of 14 highways in southwest and south-central Colorado, including U.S. 160 and Colo. 151.
The work will begin in early May and be completed by the beginning of June. Work will not take place on Sundays and during the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25.
A total of 268 miles of roadway will be improved with the installation of centerline rumble strips along segments of the following highways: Colorado highways 90, 97, 141, 184, 172, 151, 114, 15, 136, 368, 370, and 150; and U.S. highways 160 and 550. The highways are located in several counties including Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costillo, Dolores, Huerfano, Montrose, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel, La Plata and Saguache.
Work began on Monday at the Utah border in Montrose County.
Construction will proceed in a southern and eastern direction along remaining highways.
Rumble strips are an effective measure for reducing roadway departure crashes. Grooves are cut into the pavement which cause a vibration and rumbling sound when the tires of a moving vehicle come in contact with the cut pavement. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips alert drivers when they leave the travel lane.
Centerline rumble strips reduce head-on collisions and cross-over crashes, while shoulder rumble strips reduce run-off-the-road crashes and warn drivers when they have drifted from their lane.
Travel impacts
• Short-duration single lane closures with delays from five to 15 minutes.
• No single-lane closure will exceed 1 mile, however, motorists may encounter multiple closures along stretches of highway to allow the work convoy to continue while the previous closure is removed for this mobile operation.
• Flaggers may direct and hold traffic, causing minor temporary delays.
• The rumble strip operation is mobile. Motorists are advised to slow down and use caution at all times while approaching the moving equipment convoy.
• Motorists should stay in their lanes and avoid passing unnecessarily to prevent fresh oil and fresh paint from getting on their vehicles. Pay close attention to message boards, signs indicating “fresh oil” and “fresh paint,” and cones placed on center lines within all works zones.
• No construction is planned for Sundays.
• No construction will take place over the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25.
Project information
For additional information about this project, contact the project team.
• Project hotline: (888) 212-0176.
• Email: pdevlin@landlogicsgroup.com.
• Project Web page: www.codot.gov/projects/swcolorado-rumblestrips.
The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.
• Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
• Stay alert. Expect the unexpected.
• Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
• Don’t change lanes unnecessarily.
• Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
• Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
• Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
• Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
• Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
• Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
• Be patient.
