VDOT installs Safety Edges on Roads

To get to my house, you need to take the last right turnoff before the state maintained paved portion of the rural road ends. For years the pavement has been crumbling and the County has been patching the road. This year the Prince William County Department of Transportation reconstructed the mile and a half paved portion of the road. When the county rebuilt the road they included a pavement shoulder wedge also known as a safety wedge.

from VDOT

This pavement shoulder wedge is created by shaping the edge of the pavement to 30 degrees using a commercially available device (called a shoe) that can be attached to the paver. The asphalt is extruded under the shoe, resulting in a durable edge that resists edge raveling and break off. After paving the gravel shoulder is regraded flush with the top of the pavement. When over time the edge becomes exposed, this shape can be more safely traversed than a vertical edge. 

from DOT

Research has shown this 30-degree shape allows drivers to re-enter the roadway safely. Providing a pavement shoulder wedge enables drivers who drift off the highway to return to the road safely. Rather than a vertical drop-off, the wedge provides a sloped surface at the edge of pavement, providing a strong, durable transition for vehicles. Even at higher speeds, a wedge helps make it easier for a vehicle to safely return to the paved roadway.

Rather than a vertical drop-off, the pavement shoulder wedge provides a sloped surface at the edge of pavement, providing a strong and durable transition for vehicles. On narrow and dark country roads the shoulder wedge allows drives to keep to their side of the road with confidence. In addition, a double yellow line was added to our road to keep drivers on their side of the road.

According to research from the Federal  Department of Transportation (DOT) vertical pavement edge drop-offs have been a factor in a substantial percentage of severe crashes in which vehicles leave the road, particularly on rural roads with unpaved shoulders. The pavement shoulder wedge reduces this problem, providing a safer transition back to the road.

The pavement shoulder wedge reduces the risk of drop-offs when maintenance forces cannot keep up with erosion or tire wear. In addition, the pavement shoulder wedge reduces edge raveling and contributes to longer pavement life. Installing the pavement shoulder wedge involves minimal time and cost to implement. According to DOT less than 1 percent additional asphalt is needed. The pavement shoulder wedge shoe, which creates the edge, can be installed on existing equipment and reportedly does not impact the rate of paving. According to VDOT the pavement shoulder wedge also provides a means of strengthening and stabilizing the pavement edge to aid in reducing maintenance cost and longer term pavement performance.