The Agency of Transportation (AOT) plans a series of public meetings to discuss the possible addition of centerline rumble stripes/strips on sections of U.S. Route 5 between Putney and Westminster and sections of Vermont Route 103 between Rockingham and Mount Holly.
Any such installation would fit within the AOT's fall 2014 paving schedule.
The meetings, open to all, are held:
• Thursday, Aug. 21, 6 p.m. Westminster Town Office, Route 5;
• Thursday, Aug. 28, 6 p.m. Town of Rockingham/Village of Bellows Falls Town Office, Bellows Falls; and
• Tuesday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. Mount Holly Town Office, 150 School St., during the regular selectboard meeting.
According to the AOT, the state would like to put centerline rumble stripes on every state highway. That said, the stripes are on 114 miles of U.S. Routes 2, 4, and 7 and Vermont Routes 9 and 105.
AOT says rumble stripes reduce the likelihood of head-on collisions and improve centerline visibility in inclement weather.
The agency installs the stripes where the pavement is at least 28 feet wide with at least three feet of paved shoulder, where the speed limit is at least 45 miles per hour, and where vehicular traffic amounts to at least 1,500 cars a day.
Even if a roadway doesn't meet these criteria, it could still qualify for rumble stripes if it comes with a history of head-on, sideswipe, or single-vehicle crashes.
Rumble stripes are not installed when there are centerline breaks (such as at an intersection or rail crossing); houses within 100 feet of the centerline; raised medians; two-way left-turn lanes; closely spaced commercial drives with high volume turning traffic; narrow bridges; or bridges or concrete roadways with less than 2{1/2} inches of pavement.