Steel grates and metal bars at Interchange ramps

[D-Dey65]

I swear, these features only seem to exist at the ends of exit ramps and the beginning of entrance ramps at interstates within the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest.

This example is on I-80 at Exit 373 in Nevada.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0787238,-114.5695789,3a,75y,303.24h,93.73t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9uXqzGT03G-pnQS6eqT9rw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D9uXqzGT03G-pnQS6eqT9rw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D25.411333%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I'm going to assume this is for flooding, but the metal tripods on the end are a mystery to me. So why are these sort of things here, and not in other parts of the country that experience flooding?

[STLmapboy]

I swear, these features only seem to exist at the ends of exit ramps and the beginning of entrance ramps at interstates within the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest.

This example is on I-80 at Exit 373 in Nevada.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0787238,-114.5695789,3a,75y,303.24h,93.73t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s9uXqzGT03G-pnQS6eqT9rw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D9uXqzGT03G-pnQS6eqT9rw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D25.411333%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I'm going to assume this is for flooding, but the metal tripods on the end are a mystery to me. So why are these sort of things here, and not in other parts of the country that experience flooding?

Wasn't there in 2009 (or the current Google aerial imaging, for that matter). Maybe it's for a place that doesn't warrant the cost of a full drainage setup.

Also looks like it came with a bit of fencing installed.

[MarkF]

Aren't those cattle guards?

[Scott5114]

I can tell everyone in this thread is from urban areas.

That's a cattle guard. Cows don't want to walk over them because they're afraid their feet will get caught in them. It allows a road to cross a fenceline without having to install a gate. The tripod things are normally used to secure the fence to the cattle guard.

You only see them in rural western areas, since most other places don't have open-range grazing like the West does.

[BrynM65]

Yep, those are cattle grids.

Sheep in the UK figured out you can roll over them, so we had to create a new design to put them off doing that.

The rural sections of the M6 and the summit of the M62 have them - generally you see them on more minor roads here and a bypass gate is usually provided for people riding horses to pass through - the Countryside Code makes leaving any gate open a major faux pas so these are not left open unless a town-dweller turns up and then the cows break loose...
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-48598694/cows-invade-residential-street-in-stockport)

[wanderer2575]

The rural sections of the M6 and the summit of the M62 have them - generally you see them on more minor roads here and a bypass gate is usually provided for people riding horses to pass through - the Countryside Code makes leaving any gate open a major faux pas so these are not left open unless a town-dweller turns up and then the cows break loose...
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-48598694/cows-invade-residential-street-in-stockport)

Gary Larson (The Far Side) would be proud.

[kphoger]

I can tell everyone in this thread is from urban areas.

Yep!   

[MCRoads]

As a person who grew up visiting grandparents in NM, I seriously thought this thread was a joke/satire...

[kphoger]

My first thought was actually something like this.  I encountered this on my honeymoon in 2006, including one section that was entirely missing within my path of travel.  I see from more updated GSV that the potential hazard no longer exists.

[Scott5114]

My elementary/middle/high school had a cattle guard at the front entrance to the campus. I'm not sure why; beyond was just a small town and not any place cows should be, nor were there any cows on campus. It was mostly used as a landmark in rule making to distinguish between what was and wasn't on campus ("you can't go past the cattle guard on lunch unless you're in X grade", etc).

[ErmineNotyours]

There's a section of the Pacific Coast Highway where there are multiple guards along a mountain climb.  I guess they're trying to keep mountain goats from walking along the road.  Also there are painted lines on some roads between real-looking tripods that allow faster speeds and lower maintenance.  Cows must be used to dealing with the real thing and they probably avoid them.

[ErmineNotyours]

And check out the entrance to Banf National Park: Electric fence on the ped/bicycle path.

[Brian556]

A shopping center called Highland Ranch in Flower Mound, Texas has fake cattle guards at each entrance for ascetic reasons
They make a loud noise every time a car passes over them

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.0702191,-97.0828279,3a,75y,83.71h,87.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shRM7ArdFMzD1cs9es0d6iw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[kphoger]

ascetic reasons

[JCinSummerfield]

Steel grates can also be found on the Mackinac Bridge.

[Brandon]

Steel grates can also be found on the Mackinac Bridge.

However, that's for airflow, not for cattle.

[CtrlAltDel]

Steel grates can also be found on the Mackinac Bridge.

However, that's for airflow, not for cattle.

I don't know about that. I mean, I know I've never seen any cattle making their way across. 

[kphoger]

Steel grates can also be found on the Mackinac Bridge.

However, that's for airflow, not for cattle.

I don't know about that. I mean, I know I've never seen any cattle making their way across. 

I've only been across it once, but I didn't see any cattle on the bridge either.  We might be on to something.

[GaryV]

Steel grates can also be found on the Mackinac Bridge.

However, that's for airflow, not for cattle.

I don't know about that. I mean, I know I've never seen any cattle making their way across. 

I've only been across it once, but I didn't see any cattle on the bridge either.  We might be on to something.

Those dumb cattle couldn't figure out that the outside lanes are paved?

If only this happened 90 miles further north:  https://www.foxnews.com/us/loose-cows-block-michigan-highway-livestock-rig-crash