If a trucker rounding the freeway ramp connecting Texas Highway 225 with Houston’s Loop 610 is greeted by flashing yellow lights, he’s being warned that he is driving too fast and is at risk of placing his rig on its side.
Laser beams and radar signals measuring the length and speed of his tractor-trailer have determined that he is traveling at a speed unsafe for the dangerous curve. The same interchange had been the scene of many truck accidents, including a fiery tanker crash that cost the driver his life and government coffers more than $900,000 to repair the damaged bridge and road surface.
The significant banking and sharp curves of Houston’s aging freeway network can quickly cause a rollover — at some points, even 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit can be a risky maneuver. Since the Texas Department of Transportation installed the yet-unnamed warning device as an experiment, however, the results have been a big zero — no turnovers, no accidents.
Data collected at the site indicates the warning signals have had a positive effect on the truckers’ driving patterns and actually have reduced speeds of rigs entering the interchange.
For the full story, see the May 1 print edition of Transport Topics. .
