Night-time road works can come with risks, but it’s often the best time to do essential road maintenance and necessary to keep traffic running smoothly. Night road works may present some risks, but they’re usually much safer than daytime options– nighttime road work is often the best option for night traffic controllers, workers and the public. This blog post will talk about the risks and benefits of night road work and the planning that needs to happen before it starts.
The benefits of nighttime road work
The benefits of nighttime road work certainly outway the disadvantages. Most highway projects are now completed while most of the population is sleeping, so there is minimal disruption to traffic movement, and more lanes can be kept open during daytime hours. It’s also much safer for night workers to work at night because there is less traffic and they are not exposed to the risks of an incident.
Temperatures are cooler at night during the hot summer months so workers can perform longer shifts. When it is cooler, the workers are more comfortable. There is less risk of dehydration or heat exhaustion. Lower temperatures make work more manageable, and potentially the project can be completed faster.
The risks and disadvantages of night road work.
There are some risks involved in carrying out essential road work at night. However, All Safe Traffic has developed in-depth safety plans that adhere to the work safety rules and regulations. The safety of the public and workers is of utmost priority, and every plan we execute has these guidelines at the core.
The nighttime road works can be noisy and disruptive, so residents may not appreciate it if they are trying to sleep or rest while traffic control staff have night shifts. When nighttime road works happen on high volume roads (like major highways), it can be very disruptive for drivers who need to deal with reduced lanes or closures that could slow them down significantly.
Nighttime road work can also be harder for drivers to see because nighttime lighting isn’t as bright. All Safe Traffic use portable lighting systems such as a trailer-mounted light tower. These lights are easily moved to a project location and set up to illuminate the work zone. For night work zones, this type of lighting should generate the minimum level of light necessary. Extra lighting such as floodlights may be needed for certain tasks.
Additionally, night traffic control staff may face more significant risks of injury and fatigue in the night hours when fewer people are around, and they’re more likely to take shortcuts, make mistakes or doze off on duty.
A lot of planning needs to happen before nighttime road works, like setting up adequate safety barriers, safe access points with well-lit signs so construction teams don’t need flashlights or headlamps. Night workers often wear reflective clothing so they won’t get hit by any cars driving through an area while they’re working.
Planning is key to any project.
One of the best ways to lessen nighttime traffic disruption is planning. It’s essential that construction plans are carefully considered before night work begins. Public information campaigns should happen well ahead of time so drivers can prepare for delays or take an alternate route if needed. With Planning Requirements, we make sure that the plans and designs align with each job’s complexity scale so everyone involved understands the project.
With a wide variety of plans available, we make sure you find what suits you best for any given project size or timeframe. Whether it be simple layouts that are easy to set up to more complex plans for staged works with additional safety precautions built-in, each one is created with efficiency in mind—resulting in all projects progressing smoothly from start to finish without complications on-site!
We guarantee that you will be assigned an experienced traffic control coordinator to supervise and oversee your project from beginning to completion. We feel that face-to-face meetings are critical as they allow us to gain a thorough understanding of the project from the outset and deal with any changes or risks that might arise during its course.
We work to improve safety through the use of better lighting plans, the use of protective barriers and the use of high visibility clothing and hardhats in addition to reflective barriers, cones and signs.
Contact All Safe Traffic to start your road construction project with the peace of mind that we have the experience and detailed Planning Requirements to ensure every job is carried out with safety and efficiency as a priority.