MASH Test 3-11 of the TxDOT Portable Type 2 PCTB with Sign Support Assembly

Portable concrete traffic barriers (PCTBs) are commonly used in work zones or in temporary median
barrier applications. PCTBs are needed for separation and channelization of vehicle movement and for
worker protection. Signage is often necessary wherever PCTBs are used. Placement of signs where driver
visibility is optimal is often necessary. It might be desirable to place signs in the shoulder of the left hand
lane between the PCTB and the roadway. Signs placed in the shoulder of roadways are often supported by
skids that are weighted down with sand bags. Often, there is not enough shoulder width for these skid-type
sign supports. One solution would be to mount the sign supports directly on the PCTB.
The goal of this project was to develop a sign support mount connection that could be incorporated
into the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) standard specifications for sign supports used in
construction zones. This report presents the details of the design developed for mounting the traffic control
sign support on top a PCTB, description of the full scale crash test performed on the design, and an
assessment and evaluation of the performance of the PCTB with the sign support mounted on top according
to specifications of Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).
The PCTB mounted sign support assembly anchored to the top of the TxDOT Type 2 PCTB tested
for this project performed acceptably for MASH test 3-11. Based on the successful crash performance, the
sign support assembly anchored to the top of the TxDOT Type 2 PCTB, in conjunction with the steel strap
connection plates, as tested for this project, is recommended for implementation