Diversion Channel bridge gets reflectors that warn of freezing conditions

A Cape Girardeau bridge is the first in the state to receive temperature-sensitive reflectors that officials hope will lead to fewer accidents in winter weather.

The Bluestar Roadway System will use seven sets of two reflectors spaced out every 200 feet alongside the northbound lanes leading up to the bridge that passes over the Diversion Channel on Interstate 55.

Once the temperature reaches 32 degrees the reflectors change from white to blue, decreasing chances motorists will face the surprise of an icy bridge. Signs that display the words "blue reflectors indicate freezing temperatures" will also be installed alongside the roadway explaining the initiative, which is on a trial basis through 2011.

Installation of the reflectors began Wednesday and is scheduled to end Friday, according to Seth Bollinger, intermediate traffic studies specialist with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The reflectors will remain in place through March. Crews will install the reflectors again before next winter.

After then, MoDOT officials will determine whether to expand the program to other bridges in the state.

The Diversion Channel bridge was selected because of its above-average length of 1,000 feet and heavy traffic volume of 20,000 cars daily, Bollinger said.

Officials began exploring the idea last year, since ice-covered bridges were common in the winters of 2008 and 2009. Bollinger and others at MoDOT studied the Bluestar Roadway System and its success at other locations, such as Paulding County, Ohio, Kent, Wash., and Calhoun County, Mich.

"Every one of those places said the public perceived the reflectors well, and we thought it would be a good idea to try them here," Bollinger said.

In the coming weeks and months MoDOT officials will visit with motorists at area gas stations and use a survey on MoDOT's website to gauge opinion on the matter. Bollinger said MoDOT staff will then evaluate the program after March 2011.

Cape Girardeau County Emergency Management Agency director Dick Knaup said bridges are likely to freeze before roadways and can quickly develop a thin layer of ice. He said the reflectors could only enhance efforts to improve safety during those dangerous conditions.

"In my opinion it's another added tool for motorists to see that a bridge is icy," Knaup said. "Anything that helps is a plus, and I don't see how it can't be beneficial."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, MO