UF Engineers Develop Safer Barriers for Road Construction Zones

Using a combination of computer simulations and traditional crash tests, a team of University of Florida civil engineers has designed and successfully tested a new barrier for secondary roads that prevents errant vehicles from entering construction zones while minimizing danger to motorists. The Florida Department of Transportation expects to begin using the barrier on urban and suburban roads with maximum speeds of 45 mph as early as 2004. Using a supercomputer and computer simulation software, the engineers conceived, designed, and tested four new designs without ever building a single physical version.