Construction Zone Safety Tips
Cowlitz County does a lot of work on area roads. Construction
zones require more attention from everyone in order to be safe.
In order to make sure you are safe, we'd like
to give you some tips on how to safely navigate these sites.
Flagging
Virtually all projects within the
County right-of-way require flagging. Please consider the following tips
when interacting with our flaggers or any others.
- Construction zone speed limits are 20 mph.
- Our flaggers are equipped with radios. They can talk to
the equipment operators as well as each other and will let
you through as soon as they can.
- Some of our operations are mobile. Follow the vehicle
and pay close attention to the driver's signals and mobile
sign board.
- Flagging is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US.
Please be considerate, use adequate stopping distance and pay
attention to other drivers.
Paint Striping
Paint striping is done roughly every other year on every
county road with an average daily trips of 150 or more.
Stripes are renewed to maintain safety on area roads. Cowlitz
County uses water-based paints and glass beads, which increase
the paint's reflectivity.
- If you are entering the roadway, please wait for the
last truck to pass.
- Drivers following or traveling in the opposite lane of
traffic should not cross lane lines.
- If you do need to cross lines, please do so at a 90
degree angle to reduce your vehicle's risk of paint damage
- Paint generally dries within 5
minutes.
Chip Seal
The chip seal program is the cornerstone of maintaining
road surfaces through time. The visual effect - fresh oil and
rock - is but a small part of the overall lifespan of the
renewed road.
Chip seal is generally redone every seven years. Although the
roads that are chip sealed appear to be in good condition when
they are resurfaced, their overall condition deteriorates
quickly after seven years and cracking, potholes and other
undesirable features form. When entering a chip seal
construction zone, remember:
- Go slowly. Some of the rock is loose until it has been
driven on several times.
- Stay on the roadway. Driving off to one side will not
help your car and may expose it to oil that has not had as
much rock over it.
- Watch for individuals on the ground as well on machines.
In order to establish a uniform gravel surface our staff use
hand brooming as needed.
- When the excess rock is broomed off, it may be used by
individual landowners for non-commercial purposes.
