Originally Posted by MuskegMan

Originally Posted by JGray

I'm an engineer in the transportation field and do a lot of DOT work and went through the conversion from english to metric. I know the DOT's spent considerable money to convert, I believe mandated by the Feds, only to convert back to english after a few years. I'm comfortable with either system, but my understanding for going back to english (whether true or not) was based on contractor issues related to metric units and construction materials produced in english dimensions and having to convert back and forth.


Highway Engineer here also.

The Federal Highway Administration mandeted that we use the metric system back in the 80's. We produced one set (in 1988) of Standard Specifications in SI (metric) units.

We'd put out projects and Contractors would hire someone to convert them back to US customary units (english) so they could understand the plans and actually build them.

Had pay units for dirt work in megagrams! (fuggin unreal) [one megagram = 1 metric ton = about 2,200 #]

Thanks to you guys I learned that 1 Megapascale = 145.0377 psi.
In the concrete business supplying freeway projects there for a while you had to learn the all the spec conversions. Major PITA.