Odd markings

[tolbs17]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[DJ Particle]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Sometimes on fresh concrete, black dashed lines will be used in addition to white dashed lines to increase visibility of the markings on theo near-white concrete.  For example, I-35W across the new Miss. River bridge in Minneapolis.

In this case, it looks like the bridge was originally slated to be striped for two lanes, the black lines were put down, then later they decided to stripe it for one lane (evidenced by the markings on either side of the bridge).

[index]

For the category of odd markings, I present this awkward temporary arrangement:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9942041,-78.3790617,3a,75y,256.28h,79.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suMS35rJJfmcTwXB5k3QQvQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is even lazier than what they did with the OP's link. They just painted the leftmost line yellow to signify "yep, this is two lanes now".

What it actually looks like they did with the original post's link, is they didn't add black markings for contrast at all (sometimes NCDOT won't use them, I'm not sure what dictates when they do and they don't), but just painted the white ones over with black to say "nope, this isn't a lane anymore, no markings here". If you look closely you can see the white underneath them.

[tolbs17]

For the category of odd markings, I present this awkward temporary arrangement:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9942041,-78.3790617,3a,75y,256.28h,79.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suMS35rJJfmcTwXB5k3QQvQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is even lazier than what they did with the OP's link. They just painted the leftmost line yellow to signify "yep, this is two lanes now".

What it actually looks like they did with the original post's link, is they didn't add black markings for contrast at all (sometimes NCDOT won't use them, I'm not sure what dictates when they do and they don't), but just painted the white ones over with black to say "nope, this isn't a lane anymore, no markings here". If you look closely you can see the white underneath them.

lmao

[crispy93]

These super-thick lines coming off the Whitestone Bridge in Queens:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7963386,-73.8261676,3a,75y,154.92h,83.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syzLw8RvkngctvMsV5Bvt7A!2e0!5s20180901T000000!7i16384!8i8192

[kphoger]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

[JoePCool14]

These super-thick lines coming off the Whitestone Bridge in Queens:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7963386,-73.8261676,3a,75y,154.92h,83.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syzLw8RvkngctvMsV5Bvt7A!2e0!5s20180901T000000!7i16384!8i8192

That is the definition of gratuitous. The width of three standard lines for that? Pointless.

[roadfro]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

They should have either carried the cross hatching treatment over the bridge, or fully obliterated the existing lane markings. Black paint on a light gray surface wasn't the way to go...

[tolbs17]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

They should have either carried the cross hatching treatment over the bridge, or fully obliterated the existing lane markings. Black paint on a light gray surface wasn't the way to go...

Ikr...

Not sure why it was even narrowed down to one lane in the first place.

[kphoger]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

They should have either carried the cross hatching treatment over the bridge, or fully obliterated the existing lane markings. Black paint on a light gray surface wasn't the way to go...

Ikr...

Not sure why it was even narrowed down to one lane in the first place.

Before the narrowing, the right lane wasn't exactly useful–added after the beginning of the ramp and dropped before its end.  Pointless, and a potential cause of merge accidents.

[tolbs17]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

They should have either carried the cross hatching treatment over the bridge, or fully obliterated the existing lane markings. Black paint on a light gray surface wasn't the way to go...

Ikr...

Not sure why it was even narrowed down to one lane in the first place.

Before the narrowing, the right lane wasn't exactly useful–added after the beginning of the ramp and dropped before its end.  Pointless, and a potential cause of merge accidents.

So, how were they thinking when they made that?

[MCRoads]

Here was this gem on Raton Pass last month. This image is not mirrored, or modified in any way.



Literally in Trinidad right now heading south, so I'll see if any other weirdness is there now.

[CoreySamson]

I posted this in another thread, but figured it belongs here as well:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0525405,-95.4632018,3a,28.4y,109.29h,81.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9zdfSnSr7qgtv7BB83qedQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Gotta love it when the mall doesn't care about road standards. And also you've gotta love it when the white paint erodes off the road surface, revealing the old yellow paint underneath:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0454438,-95.4046527,3a,25y,75.33h,82.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXm9ZWy6ncoQKvdV6yRexhg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[GaryV]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The white dashed lines were removed when the right lane was removed.  All you had to do to figure that out is compare 2012 to 2016.

They should have either carried the cross hatching treatment over the bridge, or fully obliterated the existing lane markings. Black paint on a light gray surface wasn't the way to go...

Ikr...

Not sure why it was even narrowed down to one lane in the first place.

Before the narrowing, the right lane wasn't exactly useful–added after the beginning of the ramp and dropped before its end.  Pointless, and a potential cause of merge accidents.

So, how were they thinking when they made that?

Probably that they had to build the bridge to projected usage for the life of the bridge.  40 years from now it might need 2 lands, so that's how it was built.

They had to do that to the 9 Mile Rd bridge over I-75 when it was replaced after a tanker burned underneath it.  So that's one bridge that doesn't need replacement as they widen I-75 to 4 lanes.

[jeffandnicole]

One well known overpass in my region built to serve 2 lanes but only having 1 is NJ 55 North approaching NJ 42 North. https://goo.gl/maps/NWg4iBHBvyHTxFBg9

In 1985, the overpass opened when NJ 55 opened.  NJ 55 had a short accel lane into NJ 42.  Then in 1999, NJ 42 was widened to 4 lanes, providing a thru lane for traffic coming in from NJ 55.

The reason why they just used 1 lane on the bridge is there was no real place to put a 5th lane on Rt. 42 to allow 2 thru lanes to continue.  The options would be to do what they did - merge NJ 55 down to 1 lane prior to the overpass (where visibility is good), merge NJ 55 down to 1 lane on or after the overpass, where traffic could find themselves hitting congestion on a curve, or merge 2 lanes down to 1 lane after NJ 55 merged into NJ 42.  This would probably alleviate some congestion on 55, but increase congestion on 42.

A long-delayed construction project will provide for a 5th lane on NJ 42 across 2 overpasses (before ending as an 'Exit Only' lane for 295 South), and this project will also allow the overpass to finally allow 2 lanes of traffic, as it was designed for when originally built 38 years prior.

BTW, depending on the GSV image you get above, you may see light traffic, congested traffic where the GSV vehicle is always behind a truck, or in one instance, the travel lane is closed, and traffic is using the hash-marked shoulder which will eventually become the 2nd lane.

[tolbs17]

WTF is this...

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4282074,-77.9943087,3a,75y,208.09h,82.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1quy2WefydFneWH_QrWAgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Oh look!!! They are white in the August 2021 street view!!! 

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4281427,-77.9943319,3a,75y,209.69h,81.85t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sGPuSgZSNBp1mjHSc0a5Otw!2e0!5s20210801T000000!7i16384!8i8192

[tolbs17]

Yield or stop?

https://goo.gl/maps/WuULNBcjfjt8ftW6A

[jeffandnicole]

Yield or stop

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKS49h6AMLdaMdyp8

[SkyPesos]

Yield or stop?

https://goo.gl/maps/WuULNBcjfjt8ftW6A

Whichever one is more convenient for me, which in most cases, it's yield 

[tolbs17]

Yield or stop?

https://goo.gl/maps/WuULNBcjfjt8ftW6A

Whichever one is more convenient for me, which in most cases, it's yield 

It literally has a stop bar which is solid white and does not have the triangles which can cause confusion to others imo.

[kendancy66]

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread topic

Does anyone know or understand the purpose of the horizontal lines on this exit ramp?

https://goo.gl/maps/jP2iH8FxyAcpvKkx8

[Scott5114]

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread topic

Does anyone know or understand the purpose of the horizontal lines on this exit ramp?

https://goo.gl/maps/jP2iH8FxyAcpvKkx8

If you look on the satellite view and measure between sets of transverse lines, you'll see that they get closer and closer together the further you go down the ramp. Because the brain defaults to assuming things like that (lane lines, expansion joints, etc) are evenly spaced, and the speed by which the lines pass will increase as you go down the ramp, it subconsciously makes a driver think they are going faster than they really are and induces them to slow down.

[roadfro]

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread topic

Does anyone know or understand the purpose of the horizontal lines on this exit ramp?

https://goo.gl/maps/jP2iH8FxyAcpvKkx8

If you look on the satellite view and measure between sets of transverse lines, you'll see that they get closer and closer together the further you go down the ramp. Because the brain defaults to assuming things like that (lane lines, expansion joints, etc) are evenly spaced, and the speed by which the lines pass will increase as you go down the ramp, it subconsciously makes a driver think they are going faster than they really are and induces them to slow down.

These are called "speed reduction markings", and are an allowable traffic control device per 2009 MUTCD Section 3B.22.

[HighwayStar]

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread topic

Does anyone know or understand the purpose of the horizontal lines on this exit ramp?

https://goo.gl/maps/jP2iH8FxyAcpvKkx8

If you look on the satellite view and measure between sets of transverse lines, you'll see that they get closer and closer together the further you go down the ramp. Because the brain defaults to assuming things like that (lane lines, expansion joints, etc) are evenly spaced, and the speed by which the lines pass will increase as you go down the ramp, it subconsciously makes a driver think they are going faster than they really are and induces them to slow down.

These are called "speed reduction markings", and are an allowable traffic control device per 2009 MUTCD Section 3B.22.

They are hardly intuitive as to their meaning.

[dlsterner]

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread topic

Does anyone know or understand the purpose of the horizontal lines on this exit ramp?

https://goo.gl/maps/jP2iH8FxyAcpvKkx8

If you look on the satellite view and measure between sets of transverse lines, you'll see that they get closer and closer together the further you go down the ramp. Because the brain defaults to assuming things like that (lane lines, expansion joints, etc) are evenly spaced, and the speed by which the lines pass will increase as you go down the ramp, it subconsciously makes a driver think they are going faster than they really are and induces them to slow down.

These are called "speed reduction markings", and are an allowable traffic control device per 2009 MUTCD Section 3B.22.

They are hardly intuitive as to their meaning.

As Scott said above, the idea of these markings is to subconsciously induce the driver to reduce his speed.  For that reason they don't need to be intuitive.  Being intuitive might just defeat its purpose.