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

  • Elevated thinking
    July 30, 2019
    A Swiss-designed system for the diversion of traffic away from road maintenance crews could be revolutionary, reports David Arminas Switzerland will soon tender for companies to build and supply a mobile system for physically shifting traffic away from bridge and road maintenance crews. The federal highways agency - FEDRO - will be asking manufacturers of heavy equipment to submit bids starting this summer for the Astra Bridge system. The system will be two lanes wide and include ramp sections at e
  • Apps for all in Louisiana
    May 20, 2020
    Jason Barnes* looks at how a system of engagement (SoE) from software specialist Esri helped the US state of Louisiana’s transportation department create user-friendly apps
  • Efficient slipforming with Wirtgen
    May 15, 2019
    A Kentucky concrete slipforming contractor is benefiting from new technology in optimising kerb and gutter work. Fox Enterprises now constructs offset kerb, gutter and parking lot island placements using an on-site guidance system. The system permits automated placement of those items, including tight radii. Its fleet recently expanded to include a larger slipform paver that can handle offset curb-and-gutter paving, but also inset pavement slab paving.
  • Cold recycling helps rebuild of Brazil’s Ayrton Senna highway
    September 28, 2015
    Brazil’s Ayrton Senna Highway has been rebuilt using cold recycling. Brazil’s SP-070 is also known as the Ayrton Senna Highway and is a major highway in the country, carrying heavy traffic volumes. For its rebuild, the time-saving, cost-efficient and eco-friendly benefits of the cold recycling process have been put to the test. The SP-070 provides a key transport link between São Paulo and Campos do Jordão, Vale do Paraíba and Rio de Janeiro, as well as being the main access route to Guarulhos Interna