If you are in roadworks, road plates are crucial structures for an assortment of reasons such as laying cables or even undertaking maintenance on the road itself. In years past, steel road plates were the main type being employed as they were thought to be the only material that is capable of supporting the weight of the vehicles that will be driving over the part of the road that is being worked on safely.
However, steel road plates are incredibly heavy. In recent years, plastic road plates have started making their way into the construction industry, as they provide a lightweight alternative to their steel counterparts. Nonetheless, some people may still be wary of introducing plastic road plates to their roadworks business. This piece touches on a few of the things you should know before making a decision between steel and plastic road plates.
What are the issues that steel road plates pose?
Steel plates, admittedly, are not inherently unsafe. In fact, as long as the proper care and maintenance are being accorded to these road plates, they will be a secure, temporary substitute road surface.
Nonetheless, if these steel road plates are not affixed securely onto the surface of the road, they are bound to shift eventually. Resultantly, they can cause damage to tyres or even cause cars to drift onto the unstable part of the road that they should have been covering up.
Another hindrance posed by steel road plates is the overall cost of employing these structures. Installing steel road plates takes a significant amount of time since they are heavy. Moreover, the transportation of many steel road plates to be used for extensive road works is expensive since it needs to be done via trailers.
What makes plastic road plates a better alternative?
The advent of plastic road plates came about to specifically contend with the problems posed by employing steel plates. Thus, these plastic plates address several issues that have already been identified with the use of steel plates such as:
Hassle-free deployment: Since the plastic road plates are substantially less heavy than their steel counterparts are, they are simple to lift and install. Instead of using a crane, road workers can lift these plats on their own to place them on the road!
Cost savings: Another advantage of steel road plates is that they are much cheaper to install and transport since heavy construction equipment is not necessary for their handling.
Enhanced road safety: Plastic plates increase road safety in two ways. First, they are brightly coloured do motorists can spot them before driving over them. Second, the plastic plates are slip resistant, which provides more traction for tyres than steel road plates do.
Hi all! My name's Ed, and welcome to my blog. Like many children, my son loved construction vehicles when he was young. However, although he grew out of the toy trucks, he never grew out of his interest in construction. When, at 18, he announced that he was going to be attending a heavy vehicle driving course and applying for jobs in the field, I decided to see what all the fuss was about myself. As it turns out, the world of construction equipment really is interesting! Since I started looking into it, my son and I have bonded over many conversations about bulldozers and excavators. Now I'm sharing some of the things we've talked about here.