Author: clewis

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Time for Roadside Vegetation Maintenance:
Ensuring Safer Roads

It’s time to gear up your crews for a crucial task. As the trees prepare to shed their leaves in preparation for fall and winter, the upcoming months provide an ideal opportunity to tackle essential roadside tree trimming and highway vegetation control. This initiative not only enhances the safety of your community’s roadways but also benefits all those who travel on them.

Here are several compelling reasons why regular roadside tree trimming should be a top priority:

1.) Enhanced Safety

Unchecked growth of trees and shrubs can pose significant safety hazards for road users. Overgrown branches, shrubs, and other vegetation obstruct visibility, making it challenging for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to spot crucial elements such as road signs, oncoming traffic, and the path of the road itself.

It’s imperative to remove any limbs or vegetation that obstruct a driver’s line of sight, especially in curves or at intersections. All signs should remain clearly visible from every angle and at a considerable distance. For instance, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, critical signs like stop, yield, and wrong-way signs should be discernible from 250 feet away on roads with a 30mph speed limit and 600 feet away on roads with a 60mph speed limit.

2.) Tree Health

Regular and proper trimming practices help manage the growth of shrubs and trees, ensuring their continued health and strength. This reduces the likelihood of branches falling onto roadways and sidewalks, thus mitigating potential hazards.

It is essential to remove dead or ailing trees and shrubs, as these could become serious threats to road users.

3.) Infrastructure Health

Trees and shrubs possess aggressive root systems that can penetrate pavement and affect drainage pipes and other roadside infrastructure. Eliminating young trees near roadways can prevent future issues from arising.

Vegetation adjacent to roadways can also disrupt stormwater drainage, leading to water accumulation on and near the road. This not only damages pavement but also creates safety concerns for vehicles.

Additionally, removing trees near the road facilitates snow plowing and prevents the development of unexpected icy patches during winter months.

4.) Cost-Efficiency

In simple terms, the cost of routine tree and shrub maintenance and brush removal is minimal compared to the potential damage they can cause. Taking proactive measures is far more cost-effective than reacting to the aftermath of accidents or incidents involving trees, brush, or other vegetation.

Establishing a comprehensive vegetation maintenance plan and implementing it can also reduce liability in case of unfortunate incidents involving trees, brush, or vegetation.

Create a Plan with PILLAR

PILLAR is your trusted partner in devising an effective and proactive vegetation management plan to save time, money, and lives. 

PILLAR offers a range of services, from identifying problematic areas and prioritizing needs to drafting contracts and budgeting, for DOTs of every size. Our satisfied partners include a DOT that needed to address overgrown trees and vegetation over 500 centerline miles plus corresponding ramps and intersections. 

Our expertise and experience guarantee the successful management of your plan.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation, and let’s make your roadways safer for all.

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PILLAR Talk Save Face Save Lives Save Time

Can You Read the Signs?
Inventory and Fix Faded & Missing Roadway Signs Quickly

The traveling public relies on roadway signs for navigation and information. But keeping track of hundreds or thousands of signs is a challenge. PILLAR’s inventory service and assessment tools will help you replace faded and missing roadway signs and stop potential problems for drivers before they start.

Signs of Trouble

Faded roadway signs. Drivers rely on a sign’s brightness and reflectivity to get information at a glance. Faded signs are frustrating and can be dangerous.

Missing signs. Signs go missing regularly for a variety of reasons, such as unreported accidents, theft and extreme weather. 

Misplaced signs. It can be a challenge for DOTs and localities to map out every existing sign or even know if they’re installed in the best location. 

Boost Your Signal

PILLAR has the solution. We’ve helped DOT districts of all sizes collect inventory and mark the location of their signs — including a project that has 100,000+ signage assets. We then assess the condition of those assets, create a detailed list of damaged and missing assets with cost estimates and put a replacement program in place for the DOT or municipal operations and maintenance division to follow.

No matter your staffing levels, PILLAR will help you work smarter throughout the lifespan of your roadway signage with our multi-phased approach:

Inventory

PILLAR has the expertise to use various inventory collection methods, from high-tech Mobile LiDAR scanning to traditional surveying to locate all of your roadway signs at marked speeds. We map, catalog and document your assets, putting valuable information at your fingertips.

Inspection

PILLAR’s team of specialized condition assessors then reviews your assets, offering a full range of expert evaluation, including:

  • Predictive data analytics, proving an estimate of when a sign will need replaced
  • Visual inspection
  • Condition rating
  • Life expectancy
  • Risk analysis

Replacement

After inspection, the PILLAR team will create a proactive and cost-effective asset management plan for any needed roadway sign replacement that includes cost estimates and cost-saving options over the long term. Recommendations may include:

  • Priority based replacement
  • Preventative maintenance
  • Area clustering, or replacing multiple signs in a specific area to save on labor and equipment costs
  • Consider switching to smart signs that are dynamic and allow motorists to see critical information immediately

Implementation

Our team can collaborate with your employees and event track all the details of your management plan, including: 

  • Contacting, supporting in-house employees or hired contractors
  • Scheduling
  • Installation

Once your plan is executed, PILLAR continues our work with continued data management, regularly updating your signage catalog and monitor the condition of your assets. We can even deploy technology such as RFID or QR codes to monitor each sign’s condition and maintenance history.

Monitor Your Signs Better with PILLAR

Faded and missing roadway signs aren’t just unsightly, they can be dangerous for drivers. With PILLAR’s inventory service and assessment tools, your municipality will have a trusted partner and a proactive plan for roadway sign replacement. Contact PILLAR for a free consultation and see how we can help.

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PILLAR Talk Save Lives Save Time

Solving Congested Rest & Parking Areas for Commercial Drivers

According to the American Trucking Association, there were 3.54 million truck drivers working in American in 2022. That’s a 1.5% increase from 2021. The industry is exploding thanks in no small part to the continuing increase in e-commerce, which has significantly increased demand of delivery services. 

Unfortunately, truck parking capacity has not been able to keep pace with the high industry growth, creating a series of bad days for commercial drivers and their employers.

Trucking’s Parking Problem

The trucking industry has struggled with congested rest and parking areas for commercial drivers for over a decade. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that there are just 300,000 spaces available and many states have closed down rest areas as part of cost-cutting strategies. Drivers themselves often have to sacrifice valuable drive time to find and claim a safe spot, if they can find one.

It’s not uncommon for drivers to enter rest areas only to find that they are completely full. This situation forces them to park in unsafe conditions on the side of busy highways, or drive the wrong way in an effort to leave the full rest area in search of another. 

Asset Management Solutions to Congested Rest Areas

The parking issue for trucking companies is a serious safety and liability issue. Trucks moving against traffic, parked on highway shoulders, or fatigued commercial drivers behind the wheel can cause life-threatening accidents for themselves and other drivers sharing the road.  

PILLAR can help prevent unsafe conditions by implementing an effective mix of technology and thoughtful planning.  

  • Parking Availability Counters: When it comes to rest areas, communication is key. PILLAR can equip rest areas with parking space counters that telegraph the number of available spaces before a truck ever pulls into the lot.
  • Signage: Truckers should never back up or drive against rest area traffic. We work with you to install appropriate signage to guide drivers through a rest area and back onto the highway in accordance with the traffic pattern. 
  • Parking Availability Communication: Good communication can result in good organization. Using weight sensing traffic counters, PILLAR can devise and implement a system of communication that keeps drivers informed while on their routes.
  • Rest Area Reconfiguration: Building new rest areas or even adding additional space for parking spots can be cost prohibitive for some municipalities. We can help make the most efficient use of existing rest area footprint. By reconfiguring the layout of your rest area, we can make more spaces available and mitigate expenses. 

Contact PILLAR and Resolve Congested Rest & Parking Areas for Commercial Drivers

PILLAR is a transportation asset management firm dedicated to maximizing the lifecycle of your assets. Our multidisciplinary team of experts is ready to help you stop bad days before the start through proactive collection, assessment, planning, and execution. Work smarter, not harder with PILLAR. Contact us for help managing your congested rest and parking areas.

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PILLAR Talk Save Lives

Wrong Way Delineation: Techniques and Prevention

Fatalities from wrong-way driving are on the rise. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, traffic fatalities caused by wrong-way driving accidents increased from 451 in 2016 to 507 in 2020. With the troubling upward trend, more DOTs have begun investigating ways to address wrong-way driving and prevent unnecessary traffic fatalities.

Wrong-Way Driving a Growing Concern

The prevalence of these incidents is a growing concern for DOTS, localities, and law enforcement. For example, Connecticut saw a dramatic uptick in fatal wrong-way crashes, moving from just two in 2020 to 13 in 2023. The CTDOT proactively investigated ways to stop dangerous wrong driving to combat this worrying trend.

The CTDOT determined impaired drivers caused the majority of accidents they faced. They implemented a preemptive plan to keep their motorists safe, including installing extra signage in close proximity to establishments that served alcohol, deploying high-tech electronic signage that warned other drivers of danger, and implementing a real-time alert system for emergency responders.

Wrong-Way Driving Prevention: Techniques, Strategies, and Technology

Prevention measures are key to staying ahead of the risks to keep motorists safe. As the CTDOT has shown, several techniques and emerging technologies can help prevent wrong-way driving and keep motorists safe. 

  • Wrong-way signs: Signage is the classic first step in alerting motorists that they are traveling in the wrong direction. These signs are strategically installed so they catch the eye only of vehicles traveling in the wrong direction, hopefully stopping tragedy before it occurs. 
  • Directional rumble strips: These special rumble strips are designed to activate only if a driver is traveling the wrong way. These directional rumble strips will alert wrong-way drivers through vibration and sound that something is amiss, giving them a chance to stop. 
  • Technology on exit ramps: New technology uses cameras to detect wrong-way drivers and immediately flash bright red LED lights to let them know they are driving the wrong way. Additional technology can notify state police in real-time, dramatically shortening response time. 
  • Variable electronic message signs: These signs protect drivers who are traveling in the correct direction but who are at risk for head-on collisions with wrong-way drivers in their area. When a wrong-way driver is in the area, these electronic signs can immediately warn drivers to beware. 
  • Prioritizing upgrades at high-risk exit ramps: High-risk exit ramps include ramps that are near locations that serve alcohol. Studies found a direct relationship between drinking and driving the wrong way on a divided highway, showing that individuals with BACs greater than or equal to 0.08 g/dL had an odds ratio of 18.36 for driving the wrong way. Prioritizing exit ramps that match these characteristics is of the utmost importance and can decrease the number of wrong-way accidents and fatalities.
  • Reconfigure Rest Areas: Rest areas can be widened, reconfiguring the space to accommodate more drivers and preventing the need for tractor-trailers to move in the wrong direction on a highway.

Make Your Roads Safer with PILLAR

Wrong-way driving often results in head-on collisions with significant injuries or death. Traffic fatalities have devastating ripple effects on families and communities. PILLAR is poised to help your municipality tackle the issue of wrong-way driving through our proven CAPE approach. We can help you collect data to determine the cause of wrong-way driving in your area and then plan and execute a plan that makes your roads safer. 

PILLAR is a trusted partner of DOTs across the country and has a successful record of helping them stop bad days before they start. If you’re ready to address the risks of wrong-way driving in your community, contact PILLAR for a free consultation and see how we can help.

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Don’t Let Unpaid Third-Party Damage Claims Cause a Bad Day.  
PILLAR Can Help.

Let’s face it, traffic accidents cause bad days for all involved. Unfortunately, for transportation asset managers getting the damage repaired is often just the beginning of the bad day saga. Collecting third-party damage claims from a driver’s insurance company is critical to getting funds you need. If not dealt with quickly and thoroughly, DOTs can lose millions in claims that they’re owed. But navigating the complicated collection process is time consuming and frustrating. 

Get the insurance money you’re owed. 

Don’t miss out on insurance recovery claims on damaged assets. PILLAR can help with a team of multi-disciplined professionals who take the complexities out of the collection process. We will work to identify the damage, investigate the circumstances and help you build a claim package that’s ready to submit. 

Our work speaks for itself. PILLAR’s has helped one DOT collect over $4.5 million in third-party damage claims over the past five years.

PILLAR Helps You Save Valuable Time and Money 

With PILLAR, you can identify and investigate damages faster and more efficiently. You’ll see significantly higher collection rates, which frees up budget for transportation management initiatives. We put in the work to identify and investigate damages and put together a claim package to save you time and money.

We can help clients identify asset damage in a number of ways, including our connected infrastructure sensors which provide alerts when there is an impact or other issue, our team in the field sites a problem, or we are alerted by the DOT to send our team out. 

Then, PILLAR’s professionals begin gathering information in the field — everything from the time, date, location and photographs of the damage to the names and contact information of the law enforcement officers who responded after the damage was done. With decades of experience across the realm of transportation, our team has the experience to know that the more information we can collect from the scene, the better for the DOT. 

PILLAR generates an estimate of the damages, collects copies of the law enforcement reports through your state’s Department of Motor Vehicle system, and then compiles everything into a claims package for a DOT’s district accounting specialist for processing and collection.

No More Guesswork on Third-Party Damage Claims

Stop your bad days before they start. With PILLAR you will have the peace of mind that your damage claims are being managed proactively by a seasoned team of experts using the latest technology. 

Rely on our expertise to remove all the guesswork from the collection process.

Contact Us Today

Don’t let your damage collection process get bogged down in paperwork. Book a discovery meeting with PILLAR to learn more about how we can help you identify damage, investigate the circumstances, and build a case, making it easier to collect what you’re owed.