Construction theater

Posted by Lucky_Link6927@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 23 comments

Do road construction crews really think they are fooling anyone besides us truckers? I mean, every year ive been OTR, I see the same exact thing during road construction season, crews building unecessarily long cone zones....and then never actually working on the road. And the zones and crossovers they create for traffic are INSANELY dangerous, often times forcing us to drive on the shoulders or on pavement they have destroyed. And every year it just seems to get worse, driving a big rig during construction season is almost and dangerous as winter driving. I wouldnt mind so much if they ACTUALLY got some work done, and improved the roads, but they never do. Its all construction THEATER.

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23 Comments

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vtddy@reddit

Oh cry me a river. Do you know how much red tape there is in road construction? Waiting on engineers and inspectors. Literally every time you do something it has to be inspected. Which really slows up the progress. Not to mention all the regulations. Those long coned off areas for miles are almost always done by a contracted company. What they do is set up those zones for future work to be done in a week or month ahead of time because they might not be able to set it up in a moment's notice. Everyone bitches about roadwork and bitches about rough roads. Can't please anyone anymore.

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

I have no beef with the actual construction workers, i agree its all about red tape. I see road crew workers and i actually feel bad for them, standing out in the elements while im in my cozy truck. My issue is with the poor planning that goes into these projects. I dont know why you took my post as a specific attack on road crew workers themselves. It wasnt.

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ExpedientDemise@reddit

I swear some day I'm going to start carrying bags of rock and filling in potholes myself.

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carlessdriver@reddit

One of the most stressful and EXHAUSTING things for me when I was OTR: having to keep it safely between the jersey barriers with only three or was it two feet on each side FOR FORTY FREAKIN MILES. I don’t think I’m exaggerating, out in the open country some of these zones were really that long.

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CaptianBrasiliano@reddit

_Why did you shut down three lanes, then just leave it like that for a month and a half without doing anything to it?_ Because Fuck You! That's Why!

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

EXACTLY. So im not the only one who watches these clowns build cone zones, park a bunch of construction equipment for show, and then VANISH, never actually doing any work to that stretch of road. I KNOW im not the only trucker who has caught on to this.

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Destroyer_Of_Senses@reddit

Gary in.... Every single fucking year..... They changed the pattern a few days ago.. I barely even see equipment in the 6 mile? Long zone... And sure as shit haven't actually seen anyone working in it for a long while....

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Plus_Share_6631@reddit

There are only two seasons winter & construction. Each is a pain in the ass, and each has it's own challenges. Welcome to the wonderful world of truckin'.

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lisazsdick@reddit

The Infastructure bill is going to work across the country, updating roads, bridges, highways, ports, it'll be a few years of heavy construction happening as things get rolling in different states as projects start.

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

See, thats the thing....all this construction has been going on for at least a DECADE. I cant speak to further back than that because my trucking career doesnt go back that far, BUT....look at Chicago for example. Ive been thru there hundreds of times over the years, ive NEVER seen it NOT have construction zones. The entire city is one big construction zone, yet NOTHING ever gets done. Theres no progress being made ANYWHERE in this country.

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Mrfoojoe@reddit

Well that’s true and false. They have gotten an absolute fuck ton done in the chi. 3 months ago it was pure friggin hell. It’s starting to lighten up in some areas because they’re finishing huge sections. Where as they are starting in others so the hell just seems to rotate. 80/94 at the border into Indiana is under construction every year of my life since I can remember.

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dsdvbguutres@reddit

Sometimes it's a different company who sets up the traffic control vs. who digs up the road so the actual construction company doesn't get to dictate the traffic control company when exactly to set up the traffic control and when exactly come pick it up.

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

My bigger point was that its ALL just theater, its all for show. Sometimes work is actually being done, but more often nothing gets done, these cone zones get set up, and no work is ever done.

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The_Woods_Police@reddit

Madison County, Arkansas just done repaved all of highway 412 and highway 23, those roads didn't have a single pothole. Just a way to spend the day and budget without grading the dirt roads that actually need attention.

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quackdamnyou@reddit

You have to maintain a road *before* it gets potholes, or it is much more expensive.

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RTMcMurphy@reddit

Random bs between Lincoln and Omaha NE. It’s as bad as Texas. If they don’t have 2 lanes shut down, the have the exits closed for “game day traffic”.

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

Yep. And Wyoming too. Needlessly tearing up and repaving roads, while ignoring the worst stretches.

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80degreeswest@reddit

I would rather have my crew put out a billion cones than get blamed for a wreck

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MN8616@reddit

Back in the day, they would lay out construction zone/lane closure for what they could actually work on that day & then move it. Now they lay out the whole project & block lanes on day 1. Someone decided it's safer, it's definitely less manpower (moving closure every day), & cheaper. So, this is our life.

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truckercrex@reddit

It's dot that sets the mandate on how they do things and set up safety

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Lucky_Link6927@reddit (OP)

I know. And we all know how sharp DOT is 😒

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WastedOwll@reddit

Construction companies are just following regulations set by each state with cones and speed limits

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ksgif2@reddit

California uses I-80 in Nevada to store their unused cones just like they store their felons in Nevada prisons.