submitted by Bryan Viggiani, NYSDOT
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald announced the completion of a project to install rumble strips on a curving three-mile stretch of Route 7 in the Town of Hoosick.
“Safety is our top priority and these new rumble strips will help keep drivers in their lanes along this rural stretch of Route 7,” Commissioner McDonald said. “Rumble strips in the center of the highway and on its shoulders are providing motorists with an additional measure of safety, audibly warning them if they begin to stray off the side of the road or into the oncoming lane of traffic.”
NYSDOT this summer completed a $2.9 million project to mill and repave segments of Route 7 to smooth the driving surface.
To further increase safety on this major route for local residents and truckers traveling between New York State and Vermont, NYSDOT also installed rumble strips on three miles of Route 7 between Babcock Lake Road and Route 22. The rumble strips – also called audible roadway delineators – were installed down the center yellow line of the highway and along the road’s shoulder.
This stretch of Route 7 curves through mountainous terrain along the Shingle Hollow Creek through Tibbets State Forrest. NYSDOT conducted a traffic safety review there in 2013 and installed additional warning signs to alert motorists of the curving and hilly nature of the road. The new rumble strips complement that by providing another level of safety for travelers.
When a vehicle’s tires roll over rumble strips, an audible warning – a rumbling sound – is emitted to alert the motorist that he or she is leaving the driving lane. Rumble strips also cause the vehicle to vibrate. Centerline rumble strips, which are placed along or near the yellow pavement markings that divide opposite-direction travel lanes, are designed to reduce head-on and sideswipe crashes.
Shoulder rumble strips are designed to warn drivers that they are straying off the road and should correct their course.
Rumble strips also help combat distracted driving and can alert drivers to lane limits when weather conditions reduce driver visibility.
The rumble strips along Route 7 cost approximately $48,000.