Why Can't Work Be Done At Night??

[Bo]

If the laws limited road-work projects to only being done at night, that would probably mean they'd take at least twice as long to construct! IMO, they already take long enough.

[civilguy]

Wow, this is a great discussion! in a perfect world, I wish all maintenance work (painting stripes, asphalt patching, chipseals, etc) would be done at night. Safety is the most important consideration and while workers (and drivers) are killed in the daytime, I personally feel safer when I can see and be seen at day then when shadows, bright lights and strobe lights create confusion during night projects. But for major construction, like when traffic is diverted for weeks or months at a time, it doesn't make economic sense to spend more money on night work. I figure it's different around the country. There are pros and cons for both cases. I just wish more projects included incentives (bonus payments) to encourage contractors to get things done quickly!

[the_dimwit]

Nicely said, BN! I completely agree.

--Dim

[the_dimwit]

If you take a look at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (between MD and VA just south of DC) replacement and the aforementioned "Mixing Bowl" in Northern VA, both had incentives attached for early completion or milestone achievement. However, the interesting thing about the projects (and others like it) was that a) much of the work was done at night and b) penalties were attached for crews that failed to clear off the roads by the start of the morning rush hour (0500, in this case).

I remember an instance where crews failed to clear out due to something or another. They didn't pick up until something like 0730. The penalty (if memory serves) was 5k for every half hour. You do the math. There were also penalties associated with not finishing the project on the agreed-upon date (30k per day).

It can be done here as well. Just requires a slightly different way of thinking and a different approach to contracting.

--Dim

[ryneone]

If I remember correctly most of the 281/410 interchange was at night or around the clock.

[ashbeeigh]

Lots of construction is done during the night. Lots. If you take a look at construction, even this weekend, there was work being done on 410, 35, and 37 (I believe?) during the evening (but yes..during the day too...but that was to catch up since the weather set it back).

They were painting on Culebra? Even if this isn't a million dollar art project that is going to be on display during the 2016 Chicago Olympics (yes that was a joke) you cannot realistic paint in the dark even if you're using flood lights. That's just ridiculous. You need some real light to paint.

[the_dimwit]

No, they were painting 1604 north of Culebra. And I have personally witnessed night painting--just two weeks ago crews were painting part of I-95 near Wilmington, Delaware. At night. It's entirely possible to do it...

Again, I have no doubt that some work is done at night around here. But I've seen a lot of work on major roadways that is performed during the day--especially during the weekend.

--Dim

[TexHwyMan]

Originally Posted by the_dimwit

It can be done here as well. Just requires a slightly different way of thinking and a different approach to contracting.

It is done here. Most large TxDOT projects include financial penalities for late work and incentives for early completion.

[the_dimwit]

Thanks, Tex. I figured something must be going on in that area--it's not that new. (As you know, I don't work in construction or city planning...so please excuse the ignorance!)

--Dim

[ChrisSA_wxatUIW]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Skeet

That's cool, Edison was a bright guy!

Cheers! M2

yay puns!!!