Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 21, 1993 TAG: 9306210006
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But a few months ago, there were several signs for the weigh station, including two with steel supports that extended over the highway. These have been removed. Is there a reasonable explanation for this? W.L., Roanoke
A: The valley's fascination never ends on this $9 million construction job. We have a sidewalk - er, highway - superintendent for each bite it's taken out of Tinker Mountain.
The scale house does look a bit like the old one, probably because of the much larger slab of concrete surrounding it.
Actually, the new house is taller, with three times the square footage. It has two control rooms - upper and lower - and a break room for staff members. There's also a restroom for truckers, and the latest in drink machines.
The explanation for the signs is: New ones are part of the project, because experience leads to constantly updated standards. Nowadays, signposts are designed not only to break off when hit, but to fall AWAY from the vehicle.
New construction codes also apply to distances between signs and scales.
When signs are replaced, the supports and sheet metal are recycled for use somewhere else, if the updated standards allow it.
Rushed into career
Q: What college did Rush Limbaugh attend, and if he did, did he finish, and what degree did he get? R.M., Roanoke
A: Rush Limbaugh, whose family has produced a long line of lawyers and bankers, knew what he wanted early in life.
At 16, he took a six-week course, earned a broadcaster's license and became a DJ.
He entered Southeast Missouri State University, where he lasted less than a year - a fact he has acknowledged on his show.
Perhaps he was turned off by the liberal in liberal arts.
Outage patterns irksome
Q: During the recent power outage, I noticed my neighbors across the street had power, while no one on my side had any. Why aren't all houses in a given area operating from the same power source? C.C., Roanoke
A: Power supply to neighborhoods is a bit like a house. An overloaded appliance might shut off the kitchen circuit while the lights stay on in the rest of the house.
It can be frustrating when our neighbor across the street has the lights on while we're worried about the food thawing in our freezer. But we'd probably be equally frustrated if every house in our neighborhood were dark while an entire neighborhood across town had lights.
Usually, neighborhoods have multiple circuits because they grew in unpredictable patterns. When there were more houses than a single circuit could supply, a new one was started.
The pattern is determined more by voltage and amperage than by geography and democracy.
In a huge outage, the circuits can be restored only gradually, and in a particular order that avoids overloading.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB