Monday, March 15, 2010

Turn clocks ahead and drive rested

It’s that time of year again when you “spring forward” clockwise as Daylight Saving Time begins — and you lose one hour of sleep.

In the same vein, PennDOT is urging motorists to get enough sleep before driving. Daylight Savings Time officially kicked in at 2 a.m. today.

According to PennDOT, over a five-year period ending in 2009, there were 11,385 crashes and 110 fatalities involving fatigued drivers statewide.

The peak hours for drowsy driving crashes are 6-8 a.m., when 14 percent of these crashes occur.

Each year, drowsy driving crashes in the U.S. result in at least 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary losses, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Like alcohol and drugs, sleep loss or fatigue impairs driving skills such as hand-to-eye coordination, reaction time, vision, awareness of surroundings, decision-making, judgment and inhibition.

PennDOT recommends motorists get enough sleep — seven to nine hours — take breaks about every two hours on long trips, stay away from sedating medications and always buckle up before driving.

The return to DST caps off National Sleep Awareness Week. According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37 percent admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year.

Drivers who sleep less than six hours per night on weekdays are significantly more likely to risk a crash than drivers who sleep eight hours or more.

Research has also identified young males, shift workers, commercial drivers and people with untreated sleep disorders or with short-term or chronic sleep deprivation as being at increased risk for having a fall-asleep crash.

The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated that beginning in 2007, DST would start the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday of November. Daylight Savings Time formerly began on the first Sunday of April and formerly ended on the last Sunday of October.

Blue Route Traffic Pattern

Monday morning, PennDOT will shift one southbound lane of the Blue Route (I-476) over to the northbound side for nearly four miles as construction crews prepare to start the first major phase of construction to rebuild this deteriorated stretch in Montgomery County.

PennDOT will extend the express lane traffic pattern to the opposite side of the highway just south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Mid-County Interchange to just south of the I-76 Interchange in Plymouth Township, Conshohocken and Lower Merion.

The work is part of a $71.7 million reconstruction project. Weather permitting, the shift will be made.

A short version of the express lane pattern has been in place on the Blue Route since construction began in March 2009 to rehabilitate the twin bridges over the Schuylkill Expressway, according to PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso.

Starting Monday morning and for the remainder of the year, motorists traveling south on I-476 will find two lanes open on the southbound side of the highway and one lane on the northbound side between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), Toaso said.

Once the longer southbound express lane pattern is in place, crews will work at night over the next two weeks to set concrete barriers to establish a two-lane construction traffic pattern on I-476 South.

Lane closures for this operation will occur Sunday-Thursday 7 p.m.-6 a.m. and weekends 9 p.m.-8 a.m.

Once barriers are in place, occasional weeknight lane closures may occur 10 p.m.-5 a.m., with short-term 15-minute traffic stoppages possible 1-5 a.m.

Be aware that southbound I-476 drivers must remain on the southbound side of the highway if they want to exit at the I-76 Interchange (Exit 16).

Drivers will not be able to access the I-76 off-ramps and the ramp to Route 23 (Conshohocken) from the southbound express lane on the northbound side of I-476.

Route 1 Twin Bridges

Lane restrictions are scheduled this week on the U.S. Route 1 Twin Bridges over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia for bridge rehabilitation, PennDOT said. Delays are expected.

On Monday and Tuesday, one lane will be closed in each direction 9 p.m.-5 a.m.

Wednesday-Saturday, one lane will be closed on Route 1 North 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and 9 p.m.-5 a.m. for installation of protective shielding and bridge deck demolition.

I-95 Bridge Repairs

Lane restrictions are scheduled this week on I-95 North/South in Philadelphia for bridge repairs.

Weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., I-95 North/South will be restricted between Girard Avenue and Woodhaven Road (Route 63).

Weekdays 7 a.m.-5 p.m., one lane will be closed on Front Street between Packer and Oregon avenues for overhead bridge repairs on I-95.

Traffic Delays

Naamans Creek Road (Route 491) — Concord and Bethel, tree clearing between U.S. Route 202 and the Delaware state line 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

Aldan — Providence Road, utility installation at Stratford Avenue 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays to March 17.

Also, Clifton Avenue, Aqua installation at Magnolia Avenue 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.

Radnor — Goshen Road, road work costing $1.3 million, closed/detoured 24 hours daily between Darby-Paoli Road and Hunt Road for roadway reconstruction and realignment to remove a sharp curve through Aug. 21. Work began March 1. Goshen Road will be detoured over Darby-Paoli Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Route 3, Route 252 and Goshen Road.

Also, Radnor-Chester Road, Aqua utility installation, closed/detoured between Lancaster Avenue (Route 30) and Conestoga Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays from March 29 through June 29.

Concord — U.S. Route 202 North, township sewer authority utility installation between Summit Street and Smithbridge Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.

Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) — Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement with lane restrictions between Darlington and Station roads, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12.

Road Watch appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.

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