# Construction Question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 8, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767 "2001-05-08T14:54:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/1 "2001-05-08T14:54:07Z")
Why around construction sites do they tear up the asphalt at an intersection (see my crude picture)? Is it supposed to be some type of speed bumb?
_ **|xxxxxxxxxx|** _\_\_\_\_
_ **|xxxxxxxxxx|** _\_\_\_
The x show where the asphalt has been torn up.
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### Author:  [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2001, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/2 "2001-05-08T17:15:32Z")
What are they doing? Could the torn up sections be where they trenched down to do utility work?
I doubt that they’re just tearing up the road to make speed bumps; a patched up road lasts a fraction as long as one that’s still in one piece. FWIW, my city council once discussed the idea of adding a five-figure charge to any projects that required cutting trenches in a road. This was to cover the cost of increased maintenance and rebuilding the road a few years early.
The board crashed; this may be a double post…
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### Author:  [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2001, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/3 "2001-05-08T21:43:55Z")
They’re extending underground utilities (water, sewer, etc) to the new building(s).
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### Author:  [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/4 "2001-05-08T22:04:07Z")
I wondered if maybe that was what they were doing, but I thought the postioning was interesting. I saw this twice in 2 different towns where they were building a structure. The reason I have trouble believing the ungerground utilities answer is because on both of them 2 seperate strips were torn up. Both of these strips were on opposite sides of a road (as my picture crudely showed) that didn’t have a stop sign. So these strips acted like speed bumps in making people slow down.
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/5 "2001-05-08T23:22:15Z")
No need to tear up ihe freakin’ road, **mongrel\_8,**. Just install a few of these thingies;
[http://www.parkingblock.com/bumps.htm](http://www.parkingblock.com/bumps.htm)
As **Bumbazine** say’s, those nifty x’s of yours are for utilities etc. Possibly temporary.
Peace,
mangeorge
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2001, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/construction-question/64767/6 "2001-05-09T14:08:43Z")
Usually I just stop by & ask the City public works people (or call them) & they always have the answer & then some.