Why Bright Orange Strips Are Coming to Washington State Highways

Here Is Why Washington DOT Is Adding Orange Strips To WA Highways

The Washington State Department of Transportation is starting a new program on the highways in Washington State and they are hoping you'll take notice.

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New Bright Orange Strips On The Highway Serve A Purpose In Washington State

You could start seeing orange stripes all over the highways in Washington State and they do serve a purpose. A new program will be the first time the WA DOT puts orange stripes into use on Washington State highways.

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A posting on the WA DOT Facebook reveals that for the first time in state history, they'll add orange lane stripes, combined with the current white stripes, across a one-mile, a multiple-lane stretch of both directions of I-5 in Fife.

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According to the post, the WA DOT explains why they are using the new orange stripes:

This is part of a pilot program to test whether or not the brightly colored orange paint helps improve work zone awareness and safety.

The orange-and-white stripes will be between Wapato Way and Porter Way, in the SR 167 Completion Project work zone.

credit: WADOT

Why orange?

The goal is to see if this increases safety for DOT crews and travelers inside an active work zone. The FHWA gave DOT the green light to try this different combo of striping, which has also been tested in several other states.

The idea is that the addition of orange stripes will increase the driver’s awareness of the active work zone, and then slow down, and follow the lane shift inside the work zone compared to normal white striping used everywhere else.

As you can see, the new orange stripes will hopefully make drivers aware that they are in a work zone and make them slow down.

As you know, fines double in a work zone for speeding and other reckless behavior - Hopefully the new orange stripes will succeed in their purpose, and don't be surprised if these new colors make it to the east side of the state in the future.

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Source: Why Bright Orange Strips Are Coming to Washington State Highways

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