4 Things You Never Knew About Road Construction
Road construction is an extremely important job. Without road construction, we would have much more difficulty navigating from point A to point B, and we would have many more accidents. Although road construction might seem like a fairly predictable and boring job, there are a number of interesting facts surrounding it. Consider these four unique facts when it comes to road construction:
Why We Have Center Lines
It was in 1917 that it was finally determined that we needed center lines. Before that time, it was simply just an understood policy that drivers were to hug the right side of the road when they were driving. However, problems occurred when it came to curves because some drivers had the tendency to veer off on the other side of the road and cause head-on collisions. Center lines were first painted white because the original designer saw spilled milk on the highway! DriversEd.com talks about how this all changed in 1971 when the U.S. Government determined that yellow was a safer color. White is still used where traffic is going in the same direction.
The Yellow Light is a Great Example of Problem-Solving
Back in 1916, there were only red and green traffic lights. On the surface, this seems just fine. However, it caused a lot of drivers to have to “stop on a dime” and caused a lot of accidents. RoadTrafficSigns.com reports that the future of road construction — and a road map for safe highways — was totally revitalized with the addition of a yellow light by Detroit policeman William Potts in 1917.
Idaho Had Zero Road Construction Zone Crashes in 2016
Road construction workers across the United States are committed to keeping their work environment as safe as possible. Road construction workers in Idaho are no different. Although they realize that one of the main reasons why they are working road construction is because it pays well, they want to make sure that they all are able to go home safely to their families each night. That is why the Idaho transportation department is proud that they could report zero fatalities for 2016, according to The National Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.
Reflective Paint Uses Glass
Do you recall seeing that reflective paint on the roadway? Well, you might be surprised at just what that stuff is actually made out of! Mid State Paving explains that you might think pavers and painters would try their hardest to keep glass off of the asphalt. But you’d be wrong! Reflective paint utilizes tons and tons of tiny glass beads, smaller than the head of a pin.
Just like any other line of work, there are a lot of surprising facts about road construction that you didn’t know about. So the next time you see one of those individuals in their protective gear, be sure to smile and wave. They are working for you!
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