Have you ever been walking or driving down a street, and you see this weird slab of metal just laying across the street? Haven’t you ever wondered why those are there? If they’re meant to slow down cars, they don’t do a very good job, and they’re not pressure switches. These are trench plates, and they serve a particular purpose: covering up large holes in the street. Are there any other uses for them? Any other benefits to having large steel plates just sort of sitting there in the middle of the street? If you’re wondering this about steel trench plates in Santa Cruz CA, presumably out of boredom, fear not. There are a good many benefits to this simple, but effective device.
#1. Reduced risk of potholes
Obviously, the main benefit of steel trench plates is their main function: covering up deep holes in roads to reduce the risk of potholes. Deep potholes, the kind that warrant a trench plate, can really screw up your car if you hit it hard enough. In some cases it can even pop your tire, mess up the shocks, or even dent your wheel. Obviously not something you want to deal with when it comes to your car, so trench plates are put there until such a time as the hole can be completely repaired.
#2. Non-intrusive
Not unnoticeable: non-intrusive. While you will definitely notice them if you walk over them, they’re not really a bother. They’re a bit of an elevation, and then you’re back down like nothing happened. Likewise, in your car, if you see one, you may feel a small bump, but very little else. Trench plates cover up otherwise detrimental pothole, while remaining completely unobtrusive to everyday life.
#3. Theft resistant
The great thing about being screwed down to city streets is that rarely will they be stolen. Because they’re screwed down to the street, a street that typically has several cars rushing through it at top speed, metal thieves are less inclined to risk their necks trying to snatch them. So if you’re worried about metal thieves when implementing these onto your road, don’t be.
Steel trench plates are a simple piece of tech, but a highly effective one. They aren’t meant to be there forever, of course, just long enough for the road screw to find time in their schedule to fill it in. Until then, they’re non-intrusive to everyday life, are typically thief-proof, and reduce the risk of potholes tremendously.
