Road Construction Ahead

[Mergingtraffic]

In my state...CT they don't use Road Construction Ahead anymore, the signs say Road WORK Ahead.
Is that the dumming down of America?

Also, newer construction signs aren't even metal anymore, they are some type of card-board/plastic with sharp (not curved) edges. 
I miss the metal with curved edges construction signs.

Also, when CT repaves a road, they paint the lines in regular road paint, not epoxy.  The epoxy isn't put down until a year later in most cases.  Why the delay?

[WISFreeways]

  looks like the recession is taking its toll here

[akotchi]

Also, when CT repaves a road, they paint the lines in regular road paint, not epoxy.  The epoxy isn't put down until a year later in most cases.  Why the delay?

Depends on when the paving is done.  Most striping materials have minimum pavement or air temperatures at which they can be applied.  In addition, permanent striping is usually done for a whole project at the end, so that the striping contractor comes out only once to do the work.  A year is a bit long, though, I'll grant you.

[leifvanderwall]

I think a road construction ahead sign should be attached to Michigan, Great Lakes, Great Times sign at the state line.

[City]

I think a road construction ahead sign should be attached to Michigan, Great Lakes, Great Times sign at the state line.

So are you saying that 99.9% of Michigan's roads that start at a state line have construction right afterward? Hmm... I wonder where all that money comes from...

Anyways, I think that "Road Work Ahead" seems much more broad and interchangeable than "Road Construction Ahead". Sometimes, that state DOT isn't constructing onto the road, just fixing a couple of things. And it saves on black ink. 

I, though, would prefer the metal curved signs over the cardboard-ish ones. Rain starts falling, you have flimsy cardboard (or let's say paper), the result is a very illegible sign. Plus, metal signs can be used at many more construction sites and last much longer; AKA stretching the dollar.

[roadfro]

In my state...CT they don't use Road Construction Ahead anymore, the signs say Road WORK Ahead.
Is that the dumming down of America?

It's been that way in Nevada for some time now. I believe the signs in the MUTCD all say "work" instead of "construction".  It's not necessarily the dumbing-down of America, but more being able to use one sign for a variety of instances instead of using "construction" where roadbed is actually being constructed and "work" for other situations.

Also, newer construction signs aren't even metal anymore, they are some type of card-board/plastic with sharp (not curved) edges. 
I miss the metal with curved edges construction signs.

This seems to vary based on contractors and local jurisdiction preferences.  In Nevada, I've been seeing more and more construction warning signs made of a flexible plastic/fabric material placed on collapsible/flexible stands, especially when signs are placed temporarily on or near the pavement.

These types of signs seem to be more versatile and durable--they are able to bend if hit (which occurs often in narrow lanes of construction zones) and also seem to retain their retroreflectiveness better than standard metal signs despite the dirt and grime accumulated in work zones.  These signs also have the added convenience of simply unhooking the sign from the support stand when it needs to be changed (say, changing from a right lane to a left lane closure occurring at the same point) as you only need to replace the sign--with a metal sign, they're typically mounted to their own support, so the whole thing needs to be swapped.

With that said, construction signs that are placed long-term (several months or more) and off the pavement still seem to employ traditional metal-fabricated signs.

Also, when CT repaves a road, they paint the lines in regular road paint, not epoxy.  The epoxy isn't put down until a year later in most cases.  Why the delay?

It could depend on whether the final pavement has been placed or not.  If it's an asphalt pavement, the top layer is not always placed immediately if additional construction is occurring in the area. If work on that particular segment is finished except for the final asphalt layer, the contractor has to put down temporary striping unless they want to maintain cones and barrels.  Once the work is completely finished, the final layer of asphalt is applied (which is often a quick process not necessitating long-term closures) and permanent striping is put down.

Another explanation could depend on time of year of construction.  I believe the epoxy or thermoplastic used in many pavement markings is supposed to be applied above a certain ambient temperature.  If it's too cold out, they may put down temporary paint until the temp reaches the point that permanent markings can be applied.

[hbelkins]

In my state...CT they don't use Road Construction Ahead anymore, the signs say Road WORK Ahead.
Is that the dumming down of America?

Kentucky switched a few years ago, too. I'm guessing this was done because "Work" is shorter than "Construction" and is easier to read and comprehend at highway speeds.

[codyg1985]

Alabama has used "Road Work Ahead" since about 1996 or so. They also switched from orange to fluorescent orange about a year or so earlier.

[architect77]

Below is a link to some Work Zone PSAs in North Carolina. The third one "At the Office" is quite effective.

http://www.ncdot.org/doh/safety/workzone/psa/

[WillWeaverRVA]

In my state...CT they don't use Road Construction Ahead anymore, the signs say Road WORK Ahead.
Is that the dumming down of America?

Kentucky switched a few years ago, too. I'm guessing this was done because "Work" is shorter than "Construction" and is easier to read and comprehend at highway speeds.

Virginia uses both, but I agree, it's not the dumbing down of America. It's the simple fact that at 65mph, it's going to be easier for you to see "work" instead of "construction". "Road work ahead" also fits better on larger diamond warning signs, whereas "road construction ahead" has to be on smaller rectangular signs for the most part (though I know there are plenty of diamond signs).

[Mergingtraffic]

Also, when CT repaves a road, they paint the lines in regular road paint, not epoxy.  The epoxy isn't put down until a year later in most cases.  Why the delay?

Depends on when the paving is done.  Most striping materials have minimum pavement or air temperatures at which they can be applied.  In addition, permanent striping is usually done for a whole project at the end, so that the striping contractor comes out only once to do the work.  A year is a bit long, though, I'll grant you.

Actually, I've noticed it when roads were resurfaced in mid summer, such as August.  They will put down regular road paint after the final overlay and then repaint it after the winter THEN during the NEXT summer comes the epoxy.   CTDOT must not like to do epoxy painting between their 5 year schedules.  (as epoxy is designed to last about 5 years or so)

[roadfro]

In my state...CT they don't use Road Construction Ahead anymore, the signs say Road WORK Ahead.
Is that the dumming down of America?

Kentucky switched a few years ago, too. I'm guessing this was done because "Work" is shorter than "Construction" and is easier to read and comprehend at highway speeds.

Ah, I didn't think of this.  That's probably one of the main reasons, quicker comprehension time.

For similar reasoning, the next MUTCD is proposing that some signs using the word "prohibited" be rephrased to use the more-quickly comprehended "no".  An example is the R5-10a sign sometimes seen at freeway entrances--the text "Pedestrians / Bicycles / Motor-Driven / Cycles / Prohibited" is being changed to "NO / Pedestrians / Bicycles / Motor-Driven / Cycles".

[leifvanderwall]

I think a road construction ahead sign should be attached to Michigan, Great Lakes, Great Times sign at the state line.

So are you saying that 99.9% of Michigan's roads that start at a state line have construction right afterward? Hmm... I wonder where all that money comes from...

We need all the money we can get right now

[mightyace]

Below is a link to some Work Zone PSAs in North Carolina. The third one "At the Office" is quite effective.
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/safety/workzone/psa/

Quite effective, stupid jingle, though.  My only other nitpick is the "I-90" sign in the "Mr. Potato" spot!

______________

And, yes with all the signs around the TN 840 construction, I've noticed the signs said Road Work Ahead as well.  Now, the speed limits in those areas are 30-50 but the roads are twisty two lane roads so comprehension time is still an issue.

[rmsandw]

The first sign you generally see in IL is a rectangle that goes up with 3 lines of words saying "Road Work" next row "Begins (Date)" next row "Expect Delays".  The middle row chages to "Ahead" when the work starts.  After that sign then you get a "Road Construction Ahead".  But that is for longer lasting projects (I.E. bridge repairs, repaving).  Utiliy crews and day part work generally have "Road Work Ahead" or just the picture "Men Working" sign.