State DOT Rolling Out $60K Centerline Rumble Strips

In an effort to reduce head-on and sideswipe crashes, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is installing 11 miles of centerline rumble strips on four state roadways this month. 

Locations include sections of Route 6 in Hampton and Brooklyn, Route 12 in Groton and Ledyard, Route 34 in Derby, and Route 202 in Litchfield, according to a Connecticut Department of Transportation April 9 press release. Installation is slated for mid to late April. 

The project will cost $60,000, with 80 percent covered by federal safety dollars and 20 percent paid by the state, said Kevin Nursick, spokesman for the Connecticut DOT. 

Although roadways weren’t selected considering crash patterns, for centerline rumble strips to be installed they must meet certain criteria: All roadways have a speed limit of 45 MPH or greater, traffic volume consists of at least 2,000 vehicles per day, and pavement has been resurfaced within the last three years, among other requirements. 

“We’re not doing this as a knee-jerk reaction,” Nursick said. “We’re trying to be proactive and get out there ahead of time with some countermeasures to prevent fatal or serious crashes from occurring.” 

Each year, head-on and sideswipe opposite-direction crashes cause about 30 deaths and 1,000 injuries in Connecticut. Crossover crashes on high-speed rural state roads result in the most catastrophic injuries and fatalities because of the high closure speeds between vehicles traveling in different directions, Nursick said. If two vehicles going at 45 MPH collide head-on, “It’s like hitting a cement wall at 90 MPH." 

From a driver's perspective, they're some of the hardest crashes to prevent because they often occur when drivers are drowsy or distracted and veer outside their lane into oncoming traffic. 

Centerline rumble strips have been shown to be effective because they alert the driver in two ways: with the rumbling sound and a physical vibration in the steering wheel and in the car. They can also help drivers know where their lane begins and ends while commuting in rain or snow.

A 2009 study by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program found that fatal and injury head-on and sideswipe opposite-direction crashes in rural areas were reduced by an average of 44 percent after the installation of centerline rumble strips, according to the release. 

Connecticut is the last state in New England to install centerline rumble strips. Thirty U.S. states total have them on their roadways. 

For the next year, the DOT plans to review the efficacy of these strips in reducing crossover-type crashes. 

“We don't have any preconceived notions, but the info out there proves they will be effective,” Nursick said. “If they are, we'll be rolling them out elsewhere in the state."