• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Join Listserv
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Transportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
    • COVID-19 Guidance
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Listserv
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Crash Tests of Construction-Zone Traffic Barriers

Author/Presenter: Hahn, Kenneth C.; Bryden, James E.
Abstract:

Tests conducted by the New York State Department of Transportation to determine the performance of various types of traffic barriers for construction zones are described. A 30.5-cm (12-in) timber curb with steel splice plates between sections and steel pins driven into the subbase was unable to redirect vehicles in minor impacts. A 40.6-cm ( 16-in) high timber curb with a W-beam steel rail bolted to the face was successfully tested at 76 km/h (47 miles/h) and 17 deg and at 61 km/h ( 38 miles/h) and 14 deg. Steel washers welded atop the anchor pins reduced barrier movement at impact. This barrier is suitable for use where moderate impacts may occur (64 km/h (40 miles/h) and 15 deg) and requires only a few inches of deflection distance. New York’s standard portable concrete median barrier with pin-connected joints, which contained an impacting vehicle at 89 km/h (55 miles/h) and 25 deg without any connection to the pavement except the two terminal sections, appears to be suitable for use in highspeed work zones. Pulling the joints tight when it was installed and grouting the bottom corners reduced barrier deflection and damage. Deflection of as much as 38.1 cm (15 in) may be produced by 97-km/h (60-mile/h) impacts where anchorage to the pavement is not provided, but it would be less where conditions do not permit such severe impacts.

Source: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume: 769
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Publication Date: 1980
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Barriers (Roads); Crash Tests; Traffic Control Devices

Copyright © 2023 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute