Work zone use of steel plates with bridge cuts in pavement

New Hampshire has used steel plates on occasion to bridge certain highway and bridge work areas. One case was during the reconstruction of a railroad crossing as part of a pavement rehabilitation project when the RR crossing work was done at night and a series of 16′ x 8′ x 1″ thick steel plates were used to bridge the work area before traffic was allowed onto it the following morning. The work was phased over four consecutive nights. The contractor was required to pave a fillet to the leading and departing edges to make a smoother transition onto and off of the plates. No special signing was required to inform motorists (other than Bump and/or Dip signs); however, changeable message signs were included in the contract to display real time messages.

In the case of bridge work, pavement fillets are commonly used to ease the transitions. Bump and/or Dip signs should be used, as a minimum, unless the plates are set flush to the pavement.