Dan Petersen lives in Augusta.
In the recent past I have had the occasion to drive north on I-295, then I-95 several times from Portland to Augusta, most recently in the early evening about 8 to 9. North of Portland, I encountered a posted work zone with a stated speed limit of 45 mph, with not one but two flashing signs also announcing the work zone.
On the way through the work zone, the road shoulders were narrowed considerably by Jersey barriers, but there were no lane changes, no work lights and no perceivable work going on.
As I approached Augusta, some 45 minutes later, a sign indicated a work zone with a speed limit reduced to 55 mph. This time, there was no change in the lanes of travel — all barriers and barrels were pulled back off the shoulders of the road to allow free use of the breakdown lane, if necessary. There were no work lights, no work activity, and all equipment was silently positioned at a distance from the highway and situated on or near entrance and exit ramps.
These events, and others similar, remind me of an incident that occurred to me on an interstate highway in New Hampshire. I was headed south on I-89, having recently crossed the Vermont state line. I saw a work zone sign reducing the speed to 45 mph.
In the next several hundred feet there were two barrels near the edge of the pavement, at a comfortable distance from the travel lane. That was it. No evidence of any construction area, no workers, no equipment, no Jersey barriers or other barrels, cones or such things. I slowed, but with nothing else in sight, accelerated again. Police stopped me. Trying not to be argumentative, I asked where was/is the work zone/speed zone. In the end, I was let off with a warning.
In the latter case, the barrels and sign were likely forgotten. I find it hard to believe someone set those up, then left for the day. Similarly, why is the speed limit in Augusta on I-95 at the Route 202 underpass reduced to 55 mph, especially when nobody is around? Neither travel lane was impeded, and there was a full breakdown lane through the entire area. In the first case stated above, and less concerning because of the narrowing of the road shoulder, why were there two flashing lights?
It has been my experience that cars speed through work zones at times when no workers are around, and there are no lane shifts or narrowing of the road to be concerned about. By insisting on reduced speed when no danger is present, the Maine Department of Transportation “cries wolf” when it should save such things for instances where it really matters. Travelers keep up their speed because they see nothing has changed from the usual.
How about a change in MDOT policy? Reduce the speed only in cases where the road narrows or the lanes shift. And save the flashing signs for those times when workers are present, and use them to announce that workers are present only when they are, in fact, present. Then the public will know that, at that particular time, it is important to slow down.
I believe that with a little thought, the MDOT can improve things at construction sites for the traveling public, and for themselves. Example: At the beginning of the construction of the overpasses at that same I-95 intersection with Route 202 in Augusta, the entrance ramp onto I-95 north was, essentially, an amateur drag race.
The entrance ramp was placed at a 45-degree angle to the highway. But instead of an acceleration lane there was a stop sign. Anybody entering the highway at that point had to stop, crane their neck hard to see traffic over their left shoulder (side mirror was not helpful at 45 degrees), and then accelerate from a dead stop to 55 mph to keep from getting run over by any northbound traffic.
At some point MDOT must have either heard complaints, or realized this safety issue, and put in a short, but needed, acceleration lane, and a sign warning the northbound traffic of those trying to get on. I just wish it had done that from the beginning.
So, I suggest that MDOT change its signage policy to make sense. Let’s continue that thought by allowing free flow of traffic in work zones when appropriate, and notify the public with flashing lights when — and only when — workers are present.
