Highway Protection Barriers
The types of barriers that help to protect drivers on the highway include:
- Steel
- Concrete
- Removable
What Types of Barriers are Used on the Sides of Highways?
Barriers on the sides of highways have to deal with an interesting issue. While their main priority is to protect drivers from accidentally going off the highway and potentially flipping their car, these barriers have to accomplish this task without obstructing drivers’ view of the surrounding landscape. Metal highway protection barriers are usually selected since they can simultaneously meet both objectives. While these protective barriers are usually set low to the ground, they are strong enough to keep vehicles from going off the side of the highway but still out of drivers’ line of sight.
How are Concrete Barriers Used on Highways?
Concrete protection barriers are usually placed in the middle of highways. This type of barrier can be used to keep traffic that is going one direction on a highway from accidentally drifting into lanes on the other side of the highway with vehicles that are traveling in the other direction. To make these barriers as strong as possible, it's common for the concrete to be reinforced with steel. In addition to being used to separate highway lanes that are traveling in different directions, this type of protection barrier can be used at other points on a highway.
For example, if there are areas where vehicles need space to get up to speed so they can properly merge, concrete barriers can be used to prevent other vehicles from accidentally merging over before those getting on have a chance to get up to speed. In addition to keeping drivers safe while they are traveling on the highway, these barriers are also used to reduce the amount of sound that's created by the highway. Since highway noise can be a major distraction for any residential or commercial areas that are located nearby, the noise reduction provided by these barriers can be very beneficial.
How are Removable Protection Barriers Used on Highways?
Steel and concrete barriers are added to areas on highways that are always going to need protection. However, there are times when part of a highway only needs temporary protection. This can be during construction or if part of a highway presents a temporary hazard as a result of damage it sustains. The most common solution for for these situations is to add removable protection barriers to the highway. While cones can be used to alert drivers to the fact that they need to pay attention, cones can be knocked over by vehicles or strong winds.
Removable protection barriers are similar to cones in terms of their highly visible nature and ability to be hit by a vehicle without causing damage to it. What makes these barriers more effective than standard cones is while they will fall over if hit by a car, they have a special joint in their base. This joint makes it possible for them to immediately pop back up after being hit. This ensures they are able to continue making the highway a safe place for all drivers.