The newly-opened Kickapoo Turnpike in Oklahoma has, at its northern terminus, an installation of green floppy things to block headlights from oncoming cars.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Kickapoo_Turnpike_ramp_to_WB_I-44.jpg/800px-Kickapoo_Turnpike_ramp_to_WB_I-44.jpg)
My first reaction, which made me take the picture in the first place, was "holy shit, I didn't realize they still made those". Because while they're not exactly rare or anything, and show up on multiple interstates in the Oklahoma City area, most modern construction just makes the Jersey barrier high enough to block the lights. So it was a surprise to see a month-old installation of green floppy things. It's so weird seeing them without a few decades of fading to the paint and yellow reflectors that are worth a damn.
How much are these used in states other than Oklahoma? And if they're used there, have there been any recent installs?
They are on I-57 around Kankakee...that section had recent reconstruction work, and they are still there
The ones on Google Maps in the area are old and falling apart
I could be crazy, but doesn't ISTHA use these things during Construction projects, when they shift a traffic lane to the "opposite" carriageway?
Most of the time when I see those, they're temporary and part of construction work.
Not a state, but I've seen them as permanent installations on many Chinese freeways.
They are permanently installed on portions of I-25 in Albuquerque (https://goo.gl/maps/dxsXjQ4rQ4p1iLKA9).
I've seen them in Utah too, but pretty sure never outside of a construction zone.
Permanent install on 295 around US 30 in NJ: https://goo.gl/maps/2DcpjBgP6HZaPG9y8 . They snap easily when hit with a vehicle or debris.
New parts of I-69 in Southern Indiana between Martinsville and Bloomington has some of these between the interstate and nearby frontage roads. They definitely look permanent.
MA-2 has them. I want to say in the Fitchburg area.
In Georgia all the freeways with barriers just have them built high enough to block headlights. And that's done for the entire length of the barrier, not just the curves.
Virginia has those on portions of the Capital Beltway. Not everywhere along there, just in some places. Some of them are quite old, dating back to the 1970s or earlier (with some missing or damaged ones replaced) (https://goo.gl/maps/iiop2FCrNP4ntigZ8), while some are much newer (though still with various ones missing) (https://goo.gl/maps/zA8FaFs3rgcDa3S58).
Interesting thing is, the height of those things sometimes varies within a short distance, such as in this pre-2012 Street View (the ones seen there dated to the 1970s or earlier) (https://goo.gl/maps/TthVx8juTj1JwwRk6).
I've seen those referred to as "eye baffles." I have no idea how common that term is.
Quote from: ilpt4u on January 16, 2021, 11:51:52 PM
They are on I-57 around Kankakee...that section had recent reconstruction work, and they are still there
The ones on Google Maps in the area are old and falling apart
I could be crazy, but doesn't ISTHA use these things during Construction projects, when they shift a traffic lane to the "opposite" carriageway?
Yes. ISTHA also uses them when they reroute traffic onto the shoulder near the center median wall for a construction zone.
Quote from: Rothman on January 17, 2021, 02:20:14 AM
MA-2 has them. I want to say in the Fitchburg area.
A little further west, the Death Valley stretch in Athol and Orange where US 202 joins it.
Quote from: SectorZ on January 17, 2021, 08:42:37 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 17, 2021, 02:20:14 AM
MA-2 has them. I want to say in the Fitchburg area.
A little further west, the Death Valley stretch in Athol and Orange where US 202 joins it.
Nope. Those a big floppy yellow and orange things attached to bumps in the median.
Out around Fitchburg there's a jumbo jersey barrier median with the little green headlight-blockers on top of it on a downgrade eastbound.
Here you go:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5K5bHJXpfjmdy2Wp7
Berkeley has them on I-80 and parts of the Ventura Freeway in the San Fernando Valley has these things the OP is saying here.
The Banfield Freeway (I-84/US 30) in Portland and them for its full length.
My question is, if they are there to block headlights, why not just use higher Jersey Barriers/K-Rails?
Quote from: TEG24601 on January 17, 2021, 11:12:46 AM
The Banfield Freeway (I-84/US 30) in Portland and them for its full length.
My question is, if they are there to block headlights, why not just use higher Jersey Barriers/K-Rails?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
It's not a "green floppy thing," but the northern terminus of M-5 at Pontiac Trail in Commerce Township has a snow fence permanently installed in the median, to deliberately obstruct vision and thus force motorists to slow down as they approach the roundabout.
https://goo.gl/maps/9wgobt3EP3VvdFxV6
I believe they're called flexible bollards.
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2021, 08:23:04 AM
Virginia has those on portions of the Capital Beltway. Not everywhere along there, just in some places. Some of them are quite old, dating back to the 1970s or earlier (with some missing or damaged ones replaced) (https://goo.gl/maps/iiop2FCrNP4ntigZ8), while some are much newer (though still with various ones missing) (https://goo.gl/maps/zA8FaFs3rgcDa3S58).
Interesting thing is, the height of those things sometimes varies within a short distance, such as in this pre-2012 Street View (the ones seen there dated to the 1970s or earlier) (https://goo.gl/maps/TthVx8juTj1JwwRk6).
I've seen those referred to as "eye baffles." I have no idea how common that term is.
The stretch of I-95 in Richmond south of the James River Bridge has them.
Quote from: Takumi on January 17, 2021, 11:24:58 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2021, 08:23:04 AM
Virginia has those on portions of the Capital Beltway. Not everywhere along there, just in some places. Some of them are quite old, dating back to the 1970s or earlier (with some missing or damaged ones replaced) (https://goo.gl/maps/iiop2FCrNP4ntigZ8), while some are much newer (though still with various ones missing) (https://goo.gl/maps/zA8FaFs3rgcDa3S58).
Interesting thing is, the height of those things sometimes varies within a short distance, such as in this pre-2012 Street View (the ones seen there dated to the 1970s or earlier) (https://goo.gl/maps/TthVx8juTj1JwwRk6).
I've seen those referred to as "eye baffles." I have no idea how common that term is.
The stretch of I-95 in Richmond south of the James River Bridge has them.
Can confirm. Does MA 24 still have them at 495?
One historical example I remember well from my childhood was on the barrier separating I-180 from Via Bella in the vicinity of the Market Street Bridge in Williamsport. (Photo from Jeff Kitsko below–the photo shows Via Bella; I-180 is immediately to the right.)
Prior to the construction of the new Market Street Bridge with its SPUI around 2006, Via Bella served as a two-way frontage road indirectly connecting I-180 with US 15. The right edge of Via Bella's eastbound lane was about 20 feet from the right edge of I-180's westbound lane, setting up a conflict where cars' headlight beams–which normally sweep upward to the right illuminate the shoulder–were instead meeting oncoming traffic head-on
.
In the post-reconstruction configuration (https://goo.gl/maps/Ujfp16ZRwJrjiPtb8) Via Bella has been reduced to two lanes and serves local traffic, and it's separated from I-180 by the new direct on/off-ramps. And the barrier separating Via Bella is much taller than its predecessor, too. As a result, the flexible green "blinders" were not reinstalled.
(https://www.pahighways.com/graphics/pictures/US15ViaBellaSB.jpg)
- - -
I don't remember any other specific examples, but my general sense is that I've seen the green blinders elsewhere in Pennsylvania, especially on roads constructed or retrofitted in the '70s/'80s. That's in terms of permanent installations; of course I've seen them used temporarily on many freeway construction projects.
I-55 has them at the northern I-74 interchange in Bloomington. (https://goo.gl/maps/dmQE1QhoUdxxy8iU7)
I-44 in Missouri used to have them on one of the hills between the Pacific and Six Flags exits. I seemed to recall them being replaced with some sort of fencing prior to the project that built a higher concrete barrier.
First place I ever saw them was along a jersey barrier separating the West Virginia Turnpike's southbound lanes from the two-lane adjacent WV 61.
In the Baltimore area:
-I-83 approaching downtown on the JFX (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3056799,-76.6120251,3a,75y,137.45h,87.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgvCRWSD-jQ6-h972Uei6nQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en)
-I-695 passing thru Catonsville (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2707974,-76.7214551,3a,75y,277.18h,83.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWsiyIGEIvfJOR-ALYi28-A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en) - there used to be more in that area, but the ongoing widening project resulted in a lot of new, taller median barrier (with no need for green floppy things anymore)
-Much of I-895 (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2409044,-76.5966886,3a,75y,73.46h,82.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sECINcu5rxc8y5hv53lsDvg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en), although some has been replaced with taller median barrier.
Quote from: Brandon on January 17, 2021, 08:41:22 AM
Quote from: ilpt4u on January 16, 2021, 11:51:52 PM
They are on I-57 around Kankakee...that section had recent reconstruction work, and they are still there
The ones on Google Maps in the area are old and falling apart
I could be crazy, but doesn't ISTHA use these things during Construction projects, when they shift a traffic lane to the "opposite" carriageway?
Yes. ISTHA also uses them when they reroute traffic onto the shoulder near the center median wall for a construction zone.
You can see them in action along I-294 with the ongoing rebuild
I-95 has them in the stretch from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. In a lot of sections, the median wall has increased in height.
They aren't designed to help out if you're going only 5 miles an hour...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/358/19917254602_a2d2914646_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wm28Tq)
I heard once that they can be an issue for those who have light-pattern-induced seizures. Don't know if it's really true or not.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on January 18, 2021, 10:28:46 AM
In the Baltimore area:
-I-83 approaching downtown on the JFX (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3056799,-76.6120251,3a,75y,137.45h,87.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgvCRWSD-jQ6-h972Uei6nQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en)
-I-695 passing thru Catonsville (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2707974,-76.7214551,3a,75y,277.18h,83.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWsiyIGEIvfJOR-ALYi28-A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en) - there used to be more in that area, but the ongoing widening project resulted in a lot of new, taller median barrier (with no need for green floppy things anymore)
-Much of I-895 (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2409044,-76.5966886,3a,75y,73.46h,82.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sECINcu5rxc8y5hv53lsDvg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en), although some has been replaced with taller median barrier.
I consider these one of the defining features of 895. My family and I always took the Harbor Tunnel instead of the Fort McHenry while driving to places such as DC or Annapolis, and I was mesmerized by them.
As a side note regarding 895, does anybody familiar with it remember when almost nobody used it from I-97 westward? Obviously a lot of people coming from points north of Baltimore merge onto 895 at the I-95 split if they're making their way toward the 97/3/301/50 corridors, but it seems like the last time I took 895 back out to 95 in Howard County more DC-bound through traffic has opted to take the Harbor Tunnel.
Quote from: briantroutman on January 17, 2021, 12:54:56 PM
One historical example I remember well from my childhood was on the barrier separating I-180 from Via Bella in the vicinity of the Market Street Bridge in Williamsport. (Photo from Jeff Kitsko below–the photo shows Via Bella; I-180 is immediately to the right.)
Prior to the construction of the new Market Street Bridge with its SPUI around 2006, Via Bella served as a two-way frontage road indirectly connecting I-180 with US 15. The right edge of Via Bella's eastbound lane was about 20 feet from the right edge of I-180's westbound lane, setting up a conflict where cars' headlight beams–which normally sweep upward to the right illuminate the shoulder–were instead meeting oncoming traffic head-on
.
In the post-reconstruction configuration (https://goo.gl/maps/Ujfp16ZRwJrjiPtb8) Via Bella has been reduced to two lanes and serves local traffic, and it's separated from I-180 by the new direct on/off-ramps. And the barrier separating Via Bella is much taller than its predecessor, too. As a result, the flexible green "blinders" were not reinstalled.
(https://www.pahighways.com/graphics/pictures/US15ViaBellaSB.jpg)
- - -
I don't remember any other specific examples, but my general sense is that I've seen the green blinders elsewhere in Pennsylvania, especially on roads constructed or retrofitted in the '70s/'80s. That's in terms of permanent installations; of course I've seen them used temporarily on many freeway construction projects.
Holy hell, those signs are old. I've seen similar signs along the 611 bypass in Doylestown that list 611 in text instead of a shield.
Quote from: Scott5114 on January 16, 2021, 11:41:30 PM
green floppy things
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2021, 08:23:04 AM
eye baffles
Quote from: Rothman on January 17, 2021, 10:08:57 AM
little green headlight-blockers
Quote from: 1 on January 17, 2021, 11:24:37 AM
flexible bollards.
Well,
Rothman must have the official term, because he's the one tagged as 'DOT Employee' on here. I don't care what his sig line says: everything he types on here reflects the official position(s) of NYSDOT.
OK, actually, I think the system is referred to as a glare screen or an anti-glare screen. And the individual units are called (anti-)glare (board) panels. Flexible bollards are generally the round kind, typically planted in the pavement as delineators.
Quote from: kphoger on January 18, 2021, 02:02:28 PM
I heard once that they can be an issue for those who have light-pattern-induced seizures. Don't know if it's really true or not.
It can be. I also argued this on a Facebook post once where someone told me that people affected like that "shouldn't be driving". Because having a seizure induced as a passenger is A-OK.
I always associated these with Pennsylvania, but PA has since moved to higher barriers, making them rare.
The barrier separating I-190 from NY 265 at the Niagara pump generating station (https://goo.gl/maps/8GqivHC77MBW1zXs5) has them.
I-81 south of the Thruway to I-690.
A few around St. Louis.
Notably, Forest Park Pkwy has them when a Metrolink line runs in the median (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6454389,-90.3411503,3a,60y,80.83h,87.51t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sd82gsthanEdyYC7WddOk4w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192/).
Also on I-20 in Columbia, S.C.
Quote from: Takumi on January 17, 2021, 11:24:58 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 17, 2021, 08:23:04 AM
Virginia has those on portions of the Capital Beltway. Not everywhere along there, just in some places. Some of them are quite old, dating back to the 1970s or earlier (with some missing or damaged ones replaced) (https://goo.gl/maps/iiop2FCrNP4ntigZ8), while some are much newer (though still with various ones missing) (https://goo.gl/maps/zA8FaFs3rgcDa3S58).
Interesting thing is, the height of those things sometimes varies within a short distance, such as in this pre-2012 Street View (the ones seen there dated to the 1970s or earlier) (https://goo.gl/maps/TthVx8juTj1JwwRk6).
I've seen those referred to as "eye baffles." I have no idea how common that term is.
The stretch of I-95 in Richmond south of the James River Bridge has them.
I believe those were bollards were installed when that part of I-95 was still the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. Possibly during the time after the road was widened from 4 to 6 lanes.
On the PA 441 overpass of PA 283, these are used to separate between 441 and the adjacent ramps for the Harrisburg Airport Connector
They were used temporarily (GSV shows it) as PA 283 was reconstructed around I-283.
Nevada has them in some locations, the spots I'm aware of are in or around Reno:
- I-580/US 395 between Moana Ln & S Virginia St (https://goo.gl/maps/tru3aKZ1giXERqp69)
- I-80 just west of Keystone Ave (https://goo.gl/maps/RYFUoK58pnhZBjiV6)
- US 395 Alt (former US 395) on either side of Washoe Hill in Washoe Valley (https://goo.gl/maps/z6rSFGpBdDVgsGhu7)
- SR 445/Pyramid Hwy between Golden View Dr & Sparks Blvd (https://goo.gl/maps/eeeK9Apn2jun1q9T9)
In all but the I-80 instance, these are older concrete barrier walls (I believe 36" height). The I-80 example is more recent construction on a taller barrier wall (I think NDOT uses 42" or 48" now), but there is a curve and slight grade difference between the carriageways that warrant their use.
Growing up, I recall these on US 95 in Las Vegas, roughly between Rainbow Blvd and I-15. This section had minimal shoulders in the mid-1990s to accommodate extra
shoulderslanes, so the glare screens got damaged all the time. The US 95 reconstruction in this area in the mid 2000s was one of the first instances I recall of NDOT using their taller barriers (probably in part so that they could remove the glare screens to reduce maintenance costs).
EDIT: Fixed list format and changed a word.
Quote from: TEG24601 on January 17, 2021, 11:12:46 AM
The Banfield Freeway (I-84/US 30) in Portland and them for its full length.
My question is, if they are there to block headlights, why not just use higher Jersey Barriers/K-Rails?
I-5 has them as well. I think US 26 and OR 217 might; I'll have to verify.
I-40 in Haywood County used these briefly for construction. I don't know of any other situations in NC where these are used now.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.738728,-83.0320596,3a,52.1y,98.95h,83.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s8GRccKMrpDOAZrPX_HvDPQ!2e0!5s20160701T000000!7i13312!8i6656
I remember there was another one of these installs and a ton of them were broken off. Wasn't very effective at stopping headlights like that.
I always wondered what they were for. I was thinking what a waste of tax money.
I remember seeing a lot of these on I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock when ARDOT was replacing some of the old bridges a few years back. Can't think of any local examples.
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on January 25, 2021, 10:05:26 AM
I always wondered what they were for. I was thinking what a waste of tax money.
Yeah, but you think that about every cone, or if the governor eats a sandwich, or if the DOT uses a paper clip.
"Tennessee" has nine letters in it. Think of all the ink it takes every time the name of the state is printed! What a waste of tax money!
Quote from: Scott5114 on January 28, 2021, 12:28:16 PM
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on January 25, 2021, 10:05:26 AM
I always wondered what they were for. I was thinking what a waste of tax money.
Yeah, but you think that about every cone, or if the governor eats a sandwich, or if the DOT uses a paper clip.
"Tennessee" has nine letters in it. Think of all the ink it takes every time the name of the state is printed! What a waste of tax money!
I don't have a price chart in front of me, but I have to imagine that installing such a glare screen is cheaper than building the median barrier that much taller for its entire length...