AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: index on May 21, 2023, 08:17:35 PM

Title: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: index on May 21, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Cattle grates are very common out west, but I've never seen one in person myself living out east. I only know of a single example near the north end of NC 12, to prevent the wild horses from getting into the residential areas:

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.3946496,-75.8303949,3a,64.4y,11.81h,77.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLUEy-HutYqE93imFH6Kocw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Anybody have other examples of cattle grates out east?
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: cbeach40 on May 23, 2023, 02:56:15 PM
Practically unheard of in Ontario, only ones I can recall on MTO highways are around the Hwy 69-Hwy 637 interchange.
https://goo.gl/maps/ape72EeyercAYUnG7
https://goo.gl/maps/4T7yin8mChtxRLgQA

If I recall correctly this area was around where an elk repopulation effort was made some years ago, so I'll speculate that is the reason for the unusual installation here.
Of course the elk herd ended up migrating to another area entirely, but still won't hurt for moose here at least.  :-D
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: Hot Rod Hootenanny on May 24, 2023, 12:54:50 PM
It's east of the Mississippi River (by 10 miles, at most), so I guess it qualifies as "east."
(https://live.staticflickr.com/4591/25565277868_b4e36b1827.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/EX7JqU)
You can see the grate at the fence line.
Somewhere in the SW corner of Mississippi, from 20 years ago.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: Bitmapped on May 25, 2023, 10:07:28 AM
I want to say that I've seen this a couple places in West Virginia (Monroe and Pendleton Counties come to mind) but I don't have photos and the roads they might have been on are too minor to have GMSV imagery.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: ElishaGOtis on May 30, 2023, 11:09:56 AM
US-1 Overseas Highway has a set on Big Pine Key, though this is more for the protection of the endangered Key Deer than cattle. It even has a "Cyclists Dismount"  sign, something I don't see often in Florida.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TgUofhPAKWZZEVj56?g_st=ic
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: capt.ron on May 30, 2023, 11:35:13 AM
When they had the Titan missile silos in operation where I live (Central AR), the roads leading to them had cattle guards right off of the highway.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: roadman65 on May 30, 2023, 11:36:46 AM
Six Flags in Jackson, NJ used them in their drive through safari at one time, I believe.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: Duke87 on May 31, 2023, 12:30:31 AM
You know, I recall musing about where the furthest east cattle guard in the US might be. I would NOT have figured the answer would be east of the Mississippi at all, let alone that there might be a contender that's right on the Atlantic coast in North Carolina.

Wonders never cease.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: Road Hog on May 31, 2023, 01:30:47 AM
Cattle guards work for any hoofed animals (except goats and some sheep), so I might be a little surprised that they aren't more common in certain areas East. They're not recommended for horses either because they could try to cross it and slip a leg between the pipes, which is no bueno.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: Katavia on June 05, 2023, 09:08:41 AM
Seen "Wildlife Guards" (or so the warning signs call them) that were recently installed on the two westernmost I-40 interchange ramp sets in NC.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: pderocco on June 05, 2023, 09:45:54 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on May 31, 2023, 01:30:47 AM
Cattle guards work for any hoofed animals (except goats and some sheep), so I might be a little surprised that they aren't more common in certain areas East. They're not recommended for horses either because they could try to cross it and slip a leg between the pipes, which is no bueno.

Here and there (in California) you see painted guards instead of real ones, and at least for cattle they seem to work most of the time. They're not very bright. But they're also not generally eager to "escape" anyway.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: index on June 08, 2023, 06:53:45 PM
Quote from: Katavia on June 05, 2023, 09:08:41 AM
Seen "Wildlife Guards" (or so the warning signs call them) that were recently installed on the two westernmost I-40 interchange ramp sets in NC.

It looks like they don't have any fences or any way of stopping animals from actually getting past them. I wonder why.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: sbeaver44 on June 11, 2023, 08:36:57 PM
While it is definitely "out east"  I'm not sure if this counts, but within Gettysburg National Military Park, the beginning of Crawford Ave at Wheatfield Road absolutely had them.  I remember them in the mid to late 90s at least.  Street View only goes back to 2017, and they are gone.
Title: Re: Roads out east with cattle grates
Post by: HighwayStar on July 07, 2023, 04:17:41 PM
Quote from: pderocco on June 05, 2023, 09:45:54 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on May 31, 2023, 01:30:47 AM
Cattle guards work for any hoofed animals (except goats and some sheep), so I might be a little surprised that they aren't more common in certain areas East. They're not recommended for horses either because they could try to cross it and slip a leg between the pipes, which is no bueno.

Here and there (in California) you see painted guards instead of real ones, and at least for cattle they seem to work most of the time. They're not very bright. But they're also not generally eager to "escape" anyway.

Painted ones suffer from the "smart cow" problem, in that if one member of the herd correctly deduces its not a real cattle guard and crosses, the stupid cows can follow suit