DelDOT Says It Will Fix Improperly Installed Rumble Strips
Recently installed rumble strips along Route 9 near Lewes leave no room for bicycling.
Photo credit: Ron MacArthur / Cape Gazette
In social media posts on Friday, DelDOT said it will fix rumble strips that were improperly installed on Route 24 and Route 9 in Sussex County.
Rumble strips, also known as sleeper lines, rumple strips, audible lines and growlers are a safety countermeasure for preventing “run-off-road” (“ROR”) motor vehicle crashes. They are recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.
The Cape Cazette reported that DelDOT acknowledged that a contractor had improperly installed rumble strips along some sections of Route 24 and Route 9 in Sussex County, resulting in road shoulders where the remaining rideable pavement is now less than the minimum of 4 feet wide required by state policy. DelDOT’s chief traffic engineer Mark Luszcz called the problem a glitch in a $1.3 million statewide contract by an outside vendor.
According to Luszcz, two possible remedies are under consideration, either patching or paving over a total of about 1 mile of rumble strips along the two roads. Beginning in early June, contractor Safety Improvements LLC of Kennedyville, Md. will test a new patching product along a 200-foot section of road. “If that doesn’t work, we will do the more expensive process of milling out and paving over the rumble strips,” Luszcz said. “We will fix them as soon as possible.”
“DelDOT’s prompt admission of this error is admirable,” said Bike Delaware executive director James Wilson. “We hope to have a firm commitment from the department soon on a firm date by which the improperly installed rumble strips will be either patched or paved over.”
RELATED:
• “DelDOT will repair / replaced improperly installed rumble strips” (DelDOT Tweet on Friday)
• DelDOT admits bumpy bands were improperly installed (Cape Gazette)
• Statewide Rumble Strip Installation Contract (DelDOT)
• Rumble Strip Brochure (DelDOT)
• Rumble Strips and Stripes (FHWA)
• DelDOT’s Bicycle-Friendly Rumble Strip Policy (DelDOT)
