Rumble strip installation underway in Western Montana
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News from the Montana Department of Transportation
The Montana Department of Transportation is currently installing low noise centerline rumble strips on highways in Western Montana. Flathead, Lake, and Lincoln counties are currently seeing construction. Rumble strip installation in Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders Counties were completed this spring. Lake, Ravalli and Sanders Counties will also see roadside improvement work.
Traditional rumble strips are grooves in the pavement that produce a rumbling noise and vibration when a vehicle drives over the strip. Shoulder rumble strips have been utilized on Montana’s highways for decades to alert drivers veering off the side of the road. Low noise rumble strips are now being installed along the centerline of undivided roadways to continue improving the safety of Montana’s highways. Low-noise rumble strips still cause noise and vibration to alert the driver. Yet, they are much less audible outside the vehicle, making them less disruptive to people living along highways.
“We’re pleased to continue the project this summer and continue installing a necessary safety measure across Western Montana highways,” said John Schmidt, construction engineer for the district. “The technology of rumble strips has greatly improved, allowing for a much quieter experience for those in the vicinity of the strips, yet they are just as effective as traditional rumble strips and a proven, cost-effective solution for reducing serious injury and fatal crashes.”
Low-noise rumble strips are designed to prevent roadway departure crashes, particularly head-on and sideswipe crashes that occur when a vehicle crosses the centerline of an undivided highway into the oncoming lane of traffic.
Schmidt noted that studies from other states where rumble strip projects have been implemented showed a reduction in roadway departure crashes by as much as 42 percent and severe injury crashes by as much as 73 percent.
MDT is taking measures to be as efficient as possible to create as little disruption as possible during centerline rumble strip installations. The traveling public should expect construction on the following routes in the next several weeks: S 209 from the intersection with MT 35 to the intersection with MT 83; MT 83 from the intersection at MT 200 to the intersection at Junction 209; MT 56 from the intersection with MT 200 to the intersection with US 2; US 2 just east of Columbia Falls to one mile east of Snowslip.
A map of the installation areas can be found at http://bit.ly/MissoulaCLRS_AreaMap. Visit the project website at https://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/missoulaclrs/.
