You’ve Seen Them All Over Lake Charles, But Why Are They Orange?

KNGT | Lake Charles, LA — If you've driven pretty much anywhere around Southwest Louisiana lately, you've probably seen enough road construction cones to last you a lifetime. Orange cones on the interstate. Orange cones on the highway. Orange cones on side roads. Sometimes I swear they're multiplying overnight.

With all the road work and construction going on around Southwest Louisiana, I've spent plenty of time staring at those things while sitting in traffic. And the other day a completely random thought popped into my head. Why are traffic cones orange? Seriously. Why orange? They could've been blue. Purple would've been interesting. Red seems like it would make sense.

READ MORE: What’s This Thing They Built Next To The I-10 Bridge?

Somewhere along the way, we apparently decided that when somebody starts tearing up a highway, orange cones are gonna show up. So naturally, I went digging around the internet because once a question like that gets in my head, I gotta know the answer.

Scotty Schadler - TSM

Turns Out There's a Good Reason Those Cones Are Orange

According to Trans-Supply, orange was picked because it is extremely easy for our eyes to notice. Think about where you normally see a traffic cone. Gray asphalt. Concrete. Green grass. Dirt. Gravel. Then BAM. Bright orange. It sticks out.

Trans-Supply explains that orange provides strong contrast against the surroundings we normally see around roads and construction sites. That makes the cones easier for drivers and pedestrians to notice from a distance.

There's another reason too. We've learned to associate orange with caution. When you see orange barrels, orange signs or orange cones ahead, your brain pretty much knows what's coming before you even read a sign. Construction. Slow down. Pay attention. Something up ahead ain't normal.

The federal rules back that up too. The Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices assigns orange specifically to temporary traffic control. That's why those ROAD WORK and DETOUR signs are orange too. The cones aren't just sitting there looking pretty either. They're used to move traffic around work areas, mark hazards and help create some space between vehicles and the men and women working on the road. At night, traffic-control devices are required to be reflective or illuminated so drivers can still see them. That's also why you'll notice those reflective bands around many of the cones and barrels we drive past.

So there ya go. The next time you're crawling through another construction zone somewhere in Southwest Louisiana, staring at what feels like the 4,783rd orange cone you've seen that week, you'll at least know why they're orange.

Although I still think purple cones would spice things up a little bit. Just saying.