What are Those Double Black Lines on Washington Roads?

Have you been driving in Wenatchee, and notice those double black lines that we inevitably drive over?

They look like black rubber bands that are stretched horizontally across a traffic lane.

Yes, I drove through town trying to find what I'm talking about so I could give you a visual.

They are all over town! But, why?

"...Those mysterious rubber cords are officially known as pneumatic road tubes. The technology they use is simple. Every time a vehicle’s tires hit the tube, it sends a burst of air that triggers a switch, which then produces an electrical signal that’s recorded by a counter device. Some tubes are installed temporarily, usually for about a day, and others are permanent." - Source

So, do they measure traffic?

Short Answer: Yes

Long Answer: Federal agencies want to see our traffic patterns.

" By measuring the time that passes between air bursts, officials can determine which time of day has the most traffic congestion." Source

Wenatchee is in for some major construction in the coming years.

We have a ton of road changes coming to the Wenatchee Valley, to include the North end of town (think Easy Street to Smitty's Pancake House). So, it does make sense to have the rubber lines on the road. Road Constuction companies are wanting to know when it will be best for them to work in the future, based on how the traffic in is said areas.

via GIPHY

How cool is that?! We learned something new!

I wonder what other stuff we can learn... Stay tuned.