Skip to main content

Efficiency on a plate

Plate Locks is described as a cost effective and reusable road plate securing system said to be an alternative to cold patch asphalting. The system fastens to the road, preventing any sliding and shifting of the plate. Made from a recyclable, safety orange polypropylene thermoplastic, Plate Locks come in 1.52metre lengths and are said to be adjustable to fit any sized plate or configuration of multiple plates. This, coupled with being easily transferable from job to job, is said to allow the product to pay
June 15, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Plate Locks is said to be a cost-effective and reusable road plate securing system
Plate Locks are described as a cost effective and reusable road plate securing system said to be an alternative to cold patch asphalting.

The system fastens to the road, preventing any sliding and shifting of the plate. Made from a recyclable, safety orange polypropylene thermoplastic, Plate Locks come in 1.52metre lengths and are said to be adjustable to fit any sized plate or configuration of multiple plates. This, coupled with being easily transferable from job to job, is said to allow the product to pay for itself after one or two uses. 

“I was sceptical,” says Tad Blanton, field operations supervisor for Medford, Oregon Public Works Department in the United States, “but we set up a demonstration in our yard. We tested the proto-type wedges with a 1-inch thick plate over an uneven asphalt haul road. We used plate shims in several places to give the plate full bearing."

“The plate got an estimated 100 trips a day across it with all heavy trucks and heavy equipment. We left it in place for about 19 days and the plate never moved. I was impressed. Not only did the plate stay in place without cold-mix, the Plate Locks strips made the ride across the plate better than cold-mix generally would. ”

Plate Locks, developed by a company of the same name (5933 Plate Locks), are also said to be environmentally safe, which is not said to be the case for cold mix. It is reusable, has no off gassing of VOC’s and is recyclable. There are also said to be no harmful chemicals that can contaminate storm drains. Another Plate Locks advocate is Rand LeBaron, president of Pilot Rock Excavation. 

“Our previous practice for securing trench plates was to surround them with cold-mix asphalt,” says LeBaron. “That old method has literally kept us awake at night with worry about plate-walk in heavily travelled areas. Plate Locks has ended our worries about the trench plates moving and causing a serious accident.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Washington DC’s historic bridge replacement project
    June 11, 2019
    The project to replace a historic bridge in US capital Washington DC is providing major challenges for its builders - Mike Woof writes
  • Surface quality a key trend in asphalt paving
    March 7, 2012
    Improved surface quality and improved machine design are key trends in the asphalt paving sector, Mike Woof reports There is a big difference in asphalt paving techniques in North America and Europe. In North America, the need to construct long stretches of highway quickly resulted in wide pavers offering high throughput capacity, with compaction equipment then being used to achieve the required density of the various courses. In Europe's highway construction projects, distances tend to be shorter and contr
  • Implementing road user charging
    February 14, 2012
    Oregon Department of Transportation's James Whitty spoke with Jason Barnes on the state's progress with VMT fee-based charging
  • Cold comfort for Macismo and BituFIX in Mongolia
    November 29, 2019
    Macismo International reports that its newest cold asphalt licensee was used extensively in Mongolia last winter, proving its efficiency even at -20C.