Book Description

For roadside work-zones in areas that have opposing traffic flow, safety is enhanced if the temporary barriers incorporate a "glare-shield" that blocks headlight glare from opposing traffic. Currently-available 32-inch portable concrete barriers require the use of an add-on glare shield attached to the top of the barrier. The add-on glare shields are an extra expense and complicate barrier set-up and handling. An alternative solution was to develop a 50-inch high portable concrete barrier which is tall enough to serve as its own glare-shield. Finite element analysis was used to investigate various barrier shapes and connection schemes to identify a successful crashworthy design that would meet requirments of NCHRP Report 350 Test level 3. A 50-inch portable concrete barrier design was developed based on the results of the finite element analyses and was crash tested at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio. The system successfully met all safety criteria of NCHRP Report 350 and has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration for use on the National Highway System as a test level 3 device.