They’re both wrong! Down here in Dixie we call them “Wrecks”!
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I don’t know I’ve seen ‘outdoor plywood’. The ACX/BCX stuff has a bad side, but it’s not water-resistant, just less-finished. And I’ve seen solid redwood signs sandblasted in national parks, so much that the painted part, more resistant, sticks out; it was debossed originally. I’d think SD would have wind.
I would call that pressure treated wood. It has a green tint to it. My construction friends call it “salt treated” because the early versions of pressure treatment used salt, now it’s all kinds of weird chemicals.
Early versions of pressure treated wood used Arsenic (CCA was discontinued in 2003). Which unfortunately leached out and into the soil which could be absorbed by you garden or you skin. The newer PT (Pressure Treated) wood (ACQ or CA) is no where near as toxic and doesn’t leach out like CCA did.
You mean ray ek? 
Plywood that will withstand moisture and all manner of weather is marine-grade plywood, it is a high-quality hardwood plywood engineered to withstand moisture and water exposure through the use of waterproof glues and the careful selection of face and core veneers that are virtually free of voids and defects. It is not cheap nor available at most hardware stores or home repair centers…
https://www.woodworkerssource.com/search.html?Search=marine+grade+plywood
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That’s if you need plywood that is to be submerged in water. Most modern pressure treated plywood is great for homes/sheds where rot resistance is required.
I absolutely agree with you, but so many were questioning what type, what rating of veneer, what the difference weather resistance treatment, etc…
But whatever they chose, there was little mention of how to seal and finish the plywood with a waterproof coating or paint, there was no mention of paying special attention to exposed edges. Or how the plywood is installed, allowing for expansion, or using weather-resistant fasteners, or ensuring adequate ventilation and drainage to prevent water absorption.
It just kind of “hit home with me…” Back in the '60s I built a “C” Class Racing Runabout (more like a hydroplane) with a oversized Mercury outboard from plans I bought from an edition of Mechanics Illustrated… But the point is the instructions to install, finish, and treat the marine plywood was onerous to say the least and each piece had to be treated prior to installation…
And how the discussion turned from “Crash Prevention” to plywood signs is beyond me… L 
L . . .
Getting a little off the subject of wooden road signs. I don’t know what era I noticed them or what outdoor plywood was available then.
There are different grades of exterior plywood though for various uses. The best grade is for wood for contact with the soil. My neighbor has a wood foundation that used treated 2 bys and plywood. Set on gravel foundation. There are special techniques but the wood rivals concrete or block for longevity. There are only two that I know of in the neighborhood. Not sure that would be my choise. Haven’t seen any ooblem with them in the 20 years. Interesting when the neighbor did an addition, they did the standard block foundation attached to th3 wood. When I did my addition in the old house, I had to tie into the old footings with rebar.
They seem to have that type of guardrail end cover device everywhere in Illinois.
I can only guess that what is installed behind the head makes the difference… Here is Virginia, VDOT trusted the manufacturer’s claim and went head-long in a deal without proof of concept…
I think that big rectangular head is good, it prevents the guard rail end from penetrating the vehicle like a sword and impaling the occupants.
However, what is installed behind that big head makes all the difference in the world; does it absorb energy, slow the vehicle down, and redirect it back to the road? Or does it stand rock solid, like a brick wall, turning the vehicle into an accordion?
Now the latest issue involves the guardrail ends and the advent of electric vehicles (EV). The guard rails are designed for vehicles up to 5,000 pounds, but EVs can weigh over 6,500 pounds and they might plow through a guard rail like nothing or the different construction of the vehicles superstructure might cause the EV to launch over the guardrail like it’s going out for Olympic Hurdling; a problem seen years previusly…
When the old style guardrails first got bad press for penetrating vehicles, some states started burying the ends, but that created a completely new problem not see previously, launching the vehicle high into the air and causing nearly as many deaths.
It’s hard to keep up with the latest findings.
Good points made. I recall reading about guard rails doing exactly the opposite of what they were intended to do. The investigation revealed they had been installed incorrectly. The hardware sequence and position is part of the design. When they installed it, they placed the square washers on the wrong side of the rail, preventing it from separating properly and folding as designed.
Always something. In one of our many defensive drivingclasses, the instructor, who was our fleet manager, mentioned that the original design of the jersey barriers was for a certain sized car to be forced back down to the road. But that the new cars were having the opposite effect. This was many years ago so have no remembrance of which cars were which. Just the idea planted in my head that any barriers can become obsolete and is just best to avoid them.
Minnesota and I assume other states have been frantic to install the fences on interstates to prevent crossing over to on-coming traffic. So I’d see large section of the fence that had been run into. A friend after a long flight from Europe and late at night was driving home and fell asleep. Everyone ok but totaled the car taking out a large chunk of fence. Most o& us had the good sense to take the bus instead. Point is there are consequences for anything they try to do. I like high fences on bridges though, not that cheap stuff and would prefer them to be solid and block the view.
My dad loved to fly and my mom was scared stiff. We’d be driving over th3 mountains without many barriers and dad would be looking around pointing out the view. Mom would be pressing on her imaginary brake pedal, telling him to watch his driving. Childhood memories. Never went in the ditch or hit a barrier myself though approaching two million miles.
I’m asking only out of curiosity, so don’t feel offended:
You often type ‘th3’ for the. Is there a reason for that?
Something to do with the dang iPad. It puts in all sorts of stuff. Sometimes I change it sometimes I dont bother. Maybe need a new one but not fully depreciated yet.
