Living Through The Dark Side Of Asphalt Paving

Bituminous Paving Conference

How many like night?

What you see

Whats out there

Guide Light

• Background• Recommendations • New technology• Your help

Wacker Drive

Fixed Lighting

Urban

Paving in Rural area

Equipment

Quality

Visual Clues

Dark

Why in the Dark

• Minimizes disruption to traffic• Reduces delay and accidents• A great advantage of asphalt paving

System in need

The only alternative

Traffic Congestion

Rear Ends

Reduced Congestion

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Traff ic Grow th

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1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

YEAR

Growth

Interstate Traffic Growth

Research Advantages

• Material delivery• Effect on surrounding businesses• Minimize pollution• Safety

Safety

• Lower levels of traffic• However….

Tired Driver

Steam

Drunk driver

Specs

• IDOT specifications 701.04(c)6: The flagger station shall be lit by additional overhead lighting other than street lights

Flagger

Dangerous Job

Useful?

Building a Specification

• Radiance- how much energy is involved

• Illuminance- the result

Illuminance

• Birthday cake candle• On one end of a one-foot ruler• One foot candle• In metric, one lux

Seven Candles

Seven Feet

Measureable

Shedding a Little Light

• NCHRP 476 in 2002• NCHRP 498 in 2003• Il Trans Research Cooperative in 2002• Others

Other States At Paving SiteFoot-candles

10Oregon10NY10Miss10Mich5Md5Florida5 Calif

Light for worker

Workers

Workers at night

Night Office

Specification

• Draft specification under development • Follows national guidelines • Oriented toward worker needs• Bureau of Design ( Mark Seppelt)

Glare

Background Light

• Less adjustment for driver• Enough light to keep sanity • Difficult to achieve• Driver aware of workers

Retroflectivity

Dark

Yellow Flasing Light

2 foot candles

Give em a chance

Background Light

Recommendations

Recommendations

• Pay attention to problem jobs• Press for lighting specification• Personal actions

Rural

Personal Actions

• Vests clean• Hat and arm band• Use common sense

Balloon Lighting

Images in Illumination

500 Watt Balloon

Flagger in the dark

Flagger

Conventional

Generator

Summary

• Dark is dangerous• Take every possible personal precaution• Press for lighting spec

Its Up to Us

Vest at night