Road Work Woes

[Mergingtraffic]

It seems the CT DOT doesn't realize how many cars drive on I-95 in CT.  Today, on a Saturday there was an 11 mile back up b/c they had the right lane closed.  (for those that know the area, I-95 SB around Stamford)  I always thought they picked up the work if the backup got too long.  I guess not. 

I wonder who are the people that decide to do projects during high traffic times.  Saturday morning is almost as bad, if not worse than weekday traffic.   

[Alps]

Certain agencies look at traffic numbers, certain agencies don't. I'm not going to point fingers at anyone other than PennDOT for closing lanes during high-traffic times because, come on, it's PennDOT, but there are some other close-to-home agencies that do it. On the other hand, the NJ Turnpike Authority publishes Lane Closure and Shoulder Closure Tables that use a full year of recently-available volumes to determine when lanes and shoulders can and cannot be closed, based on a set of conservative assumptions founded on several industry-wide studies.

[cpzilliacus]

Certain agencies look at traffic numbers, certain agencies don't. I'm not going to point fingers at anyone other than PennDOT for closing lanes during high-traffic times because, come on, it's PennDOT, but there are some other close-to-home agencies that do it. On the other hand, the NJ Turnpike Authority publishes Lane Closure and Shoulder Closure Tables that use a full year of recently-available volumes to determine when lanes and shoulders can and cannot be closed, based on a set of conservative assumptions founded on several industry-wide studies.

MdTA puts similar tables in its bid documents.

[jeffandnicole]

It seems the CT DOT doesn't realize how many cars drive on I-95 in CT.  Today, on a Saturday there was an 11 mile back up b/c they had the right lane closed.  (for those that know the area, I-95 SB around Stamford)  I always thought they picked up the work if the backup got too long.  I guess not. 

I wonder who are the people that decide to do projects during high traffic times.  Saturday morning is almost as bad, if not worse than weekday traffic.   

Depending on the project, sometimes, the pain is going to occur. I would guess CT DOT tries to minimize delays by doing work midday or at night, but there are some projects that take 24-48 hours. Weekends are generally the time of choice to do those projects.

And once the project starts, shutting down isn't an option, especially if the road/bridge is dug up and there's nothing for motorists to drive on!

[Alps]

It seems the CT DOT doesn't realize how many cars drive on I-95 in CT.  Today, on a Saturday there was an 11 mile back up b/c they had the right lane closed.  (for those that know the area, I-95 SB around Stamford)  I always thought they picked up the work if the backup got too long.  I guess not. 

I wonder who are the people that decide to do projects during high traffic times.  Saturday morning is almost as bad, if not worse than weekday traffic.   

Depending on the project, sometimes, the pain is going to occur. I would guess CT DOT tries to minimize delays by doing work midday or at night, but there are some projects that take 24-48 hours. Weekends are generally the time of choice to do those projects.

And once the project starts, shutting down isn't an option, especially if the road/bridge is dug up and there's nothing for motorists to drive on!

Again speaking of the NJTA, they do weekend "High Intensity Construction Cycles" (formerly "crash cycles," but that's a very bad name for road work), and yeah, if you have to close a lane to do something and you need more than 8 hours overnight, it's going to be a weekend, because even if traffic volumes aren't that much lower, at least you're not dealing with commuters. Commuters are much less happy about road work during rush hour because they have to get to work, and at the end of the day they just want to get home and see the family. Recreational traffic at least has a bit more leisure to their time.

[hbelkins]

Recreational traffic at least has a bit more leisure to their time.

Plus, recreational traffic may be from out-of-state and thus not inclined to call a politician and complain. 

[roadman]

MassDOT also uses current traffic volumes to determine when to close lanes on projects.  In addition, they have what's known as the "twelve-minute" rule, whereby the Contractor can be directed to cease operations and re-open the closed lanes if the traffic  backup exceeds twelve minutes.

[Alps]

MassDOT also uses current traffic volumes to determine when to close lanes on projects.  In addition, they have what's known as the "twelve-minute" rule, whereby the Contractor can be directed to cease operations and re-open the closed lanes if the traffic  backup exceeds twelve minutes.

NJ Turnpike: 2 mile rule. That's because the first road work warning sign is 2 miles in advance, so at least the motorist is aware SOMETHING is going on, and most drivers have some idea that road work = potential delays.

[spmkam]

They had ramps closed there Sunday morning as well. Proper signage redirecting traffic to US-1, The Post Rd, would have helped the situation.

[agentsteel53]

I wonder how CalTrans does it.  I was wondering on a Friday afternoon not too long ago why they would ever close a lane on 405 northbound between Wilshire and 101.