NEW multicolored traffic signs painted on highways have confused drivers – but state officials say the change has made the roads safer.
California has launched a new highway legislation program that aims to protect drivers after making a $987 million investment.
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Highway officials in Southern California have painted new multicolored dividers near construction zones.
Orange and white striped lines delimit the highway lanes.
California transit authority Caltrans launched the program on the 5 Freeway in northern San Diego County.
Tourists in the region said they were a little confused by the new standard.
“I was curious and didn’t know what to think of them,” Utah resident Josh Rose told the local Fox affiliate. KTLA.
“They certainly caught my attention.”
Some local drivers also said they were confused.
“I’m not sure what they are [or] where they came from,” Kacey Crews, a local driver, also told the station.
Caltrans said the new painted warnings have had a positive impact on driver safety in construction zones.
“Recent survey data shows that approximately 83.18 percent of road users who traveled in the orange tier had heightened awareness of being in a construction zone,” Steve Welborn, public relations manager for the agency, told KTLA.
Another 72% of drivers reduced speed when they saw the alternatively painted road.
Nearly three-quarters of drivers surveyed said they found lanes easier to see at night.
California has invested $987 million in highway projects in the area.
The reconstructed highways must have lanes for high occupancy vehicles, or HOVs, in both directions of Highway 78.
State officials told the television station they may continue to roll out the painting technique in other construction zones.
I was curious and didn’t know what to do with them. They certainly caught my attention.
Josh Rosa
RETURN OF CONSTRUCTION
Several other states have implemented new safety rules for drivers in construction zones.
The Virginia State Police are launching new speed camera tests in construction zones on Interstate 81, according to local NBC affiliate WSLS-TV.
The agency said several testing machines will be mounted above the highway by fall 2024.
Drivers caught exceeding the speed limit at 10 mph or more are subject to $100 fines.
Construction accidents happen once every 4 billion vehicle miles driven, according to the National Department of Transport.
Highway reconstructions across the country are increasingly likely after the federal government invested hundreds of billions of dollars in states seeking to rebuild sections of their highways.
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