AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM

Title: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/

I've noticed that when some road agencies repave roads, instead of painting dots before the permanent lane stripes, they have these metal pieces instead.

Are they safe to drive over? Will they ruin your tires? Plus why use them instead of normal pain dots?
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: Rothman on October 01, 2023, 06:53:37 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/

I've noticed that when some road agencies repave roads, instead of painting dots before the permanent lane stripes, they have these metal pieces instead.

Are they safe to drive over? Will they ruin your tires? Plus why use them instead of normal pain dots?
Heh.  Of course they're safe to drive over.  They're just reflectors.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: mgk920 on October 01, 2023, 12:59:11 PM
Quote from: Rothman on October 01, 2023, 06:53:37 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/

I've noticed that when some road agencies repave roads, instead of painting dots before the permanent lane stripes, they have these metal pieces instead.

Are they safe to drive over? Will they ruin your tires? Plus why use them instead of normal pain dots?
Heh.  Of course they're safe to drive over.  They're just reflectors.

yea, they're little reflective plastic tabs that serve until real paint can be laid down.  I see them all the time here.

Mike
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: CtrlAltDel on October 01, 2023, 04:39:11 PM
I thought they were made of rubber, not metal.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: Scott5114 on October 01, 2023, 07:49:38 PM
They are indeed made of plastic. Over time they break off of the road surface and go who knows where, so they are definitely more temporary than temporary paint dots.

They also make a nice little flapping noise when you drive over them. Just think of them as temporary Botts dots.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: bing101 on October 07, 2023, 01:02:24 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/)

I've noticed that when some road agencies repave roads, instead of painting dots before the permanent lane stripes, they have these metal pieces instead.

Are they safe to drive over? Will they ruin your tires? Plus why use them instead of normal pain dots?


Temporary lane reflectors until the permanent ones are installed.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: mgk920 on October 07, 2023, 01:36:22 PM
Quote from: bing101 on October 07, 2023, 01:02:24 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on October 01, 2023, 06:45:33 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/53219219927/in/photostream/)

I've noticed that when some road agencies repave roads, instead of painting dots before the permanent lane stripes, they have these metal pieces instead.

Are they safe to drive over? Will they ruin your tires? Plus why use them instead of normal pain dots?


Temporary lane reflectors until the permanent ones are installed.

Around here they are usually put down a few days before a chip sealing operation.  IMHO, they signify road maintenance on the ultimate cheap by whatever agency controls the road and they do sometimes fail into a real mess.

Mike
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: jeffandnicole on October 07, 2023, 01:52:25 PM
Gloucester County, NJ uses them a lot.  Just plastic.  They usually just mark the center line; maybe skip or shoulder lines in some cases.  Perfectly safe to drive over.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: roadman65 on October 08, 2023, 09:10:42 PM
I've never seen them used in Florida and I did see them sporadically in the Garden State hence my OP as Kansas and Oklahoma is where I noticed them frequently after paving projects.

Just like I noticed in Kansas when a road is single lane with flagman an at each end, I've seen a pilot car lead traffic through the single lane which I never saw elsewhere.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: hbelkins on October 09, 2023, 12:04:22 PM
Whenever I see them, I try to drive over them, and I have never felt or heard them.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: pderocco on October 17, 2023, 01:07:29 AM
I've seen them hundreds of times, but I've never seen them laid down. Does someone do it on foot, or do they do it from a truck? They seem to be placed reasonably accurately, so I wonder if they have a machine that lays them down.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: bwana39 on November 29, 2023, 12:37:32 PM
I have seen them that were just white cardboard ranging from barely thicker than poster board to a 1/4" corrugated. (Think the paper corrugated corners packed in some appliance and television boxes)

They are just Temporary lane markers. In a lot of cases they are just left to wear off.

Your question would seem to hint that you are not familiar with permanent so-called cat eyes on the road.  In areas where snow plows don't run, they are everywhere. It is a bunch better than just painted stripes. Especially on light colored pavement.

Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: freebrickproductions on November 29, 2023, 02:34:51 PM
Quote from: bwana39 on November 29, 2023, 12:37:32 PM
Your question would seem to hint that you are not familiar with permanent so-called cat eyes on the road.  In areas where snow plows don't run, they are everywhere. It is a bunch better than just painted stripes. Especially on light colored pavement.
In my experience, states that at least semi-regularly get snow (including Tennessee) will use cats-eyes that are embedded into the pavement, such as these (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.001681,-86.8671526,3a,15y,274.47h,67.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBoB56uPJqjGAQfi46GwwVw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu), so they ain't scraped-off by plows.
Title: Re: What are those metal things sticking up?
Post by: thenetwork on November 29, 2023, 05:49:29 PM
Those reflectors are also good when agencies just do a chip/fog seal over a newer (0-5 year old) asphalt surface to extend the life of the road surface.

Usually those plastic reflectors get coated in black by the tar after the sealing(s), but they still can be seen as the road markings until the road is re-striped.