Until the 1990s many state highway departments reused 55-gallon drums as barricades to protect construction workers from oncoming traffic. Once empty, the drums were painted orange and white and placed along roadways where construction and repairs were occurring. Today, construction crews more likely use plastic drums that resemble their steel predecessors in both size and shape. Also alongside the highways now are groups of specially engineered plastic drum-like containers arrayed in front of vulnerable locations such as large sign supports or bridge abutments, to protect errant motorists who otherwise might collide with these rigid structures. These Fitch Barriers often contain sand-filled compartments that break apart on impact, absorbing some of the energy of the collision, often saving lives.
