01474152

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2377-08

http://scholar.google.com...Meza&publication_year=2013

Many state departments of transportation are in the process of updating their guardrail standards to comply with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) and guidance issued by FHWA on guardrail height. A key feature of the new systems is an increase in rail mounting height from 27 in. to 31 in. A common application of guardrails is shielding motorists from hazards at bridge approaches, including the end of the bridge rail. When a flexible-approach guardrail is attached to a rigid bridge rail, a transition section is needed to transition the stiffness properly from one system to another. A nested thrie beam transition system has been successfully tested to MASH guidelines and is compatible with a 31-in.-approach guardrail. However, it is cost-prohibitive to use this high-speed, Test Level 3 transition on all roadways. A low-cost transition was successfully evaluated under NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 2 (TL-2) impact conditions for use on lower-speed roadways. However, this TL-2 W-beam transition is 27 in. tall and is not compatible with the new 31-in. guardrail systems. This paper describes a new low-cost guardrail-to-bridge rail transition that was successfully developed and tested under MASH TL-2 conditions. The transition is compatible with new 31-in. guardrails and can connect to rigid concrete bridge rails. The transition is considered suitable for implementation on roadways that have traffic conditions appropriate for the use of TL-2 safety hardware. Use of this system would provide significant savings in both material and installation costs compared with high-speed transition systems.

01503755

13-5298

English

pp 74-83

2013

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309286961

Print

Figures (8) ; Photos; References (15) ; Tables (1)

Bridge railings; Cost effectiveness; Guardrail transition sections; Guardrails; Height

AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware

Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Feb 5 2013 1:00PM

• Characterization of Opposite-Direction Road Departure Crashes in the United States
• Crash Wall Design to Protect Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Walls
• Dynamic Evaluation and Implementation Guidelines for a Nonproprietary W-Beam Guardrail Trailing-End Terminal
• Injury Risk Posed by Side Impact of Nontracking Vehicles into Guardrails
• Midwest Guardrail System Without Blockouts
• Motorcyclist Impacts into Roadside Barriers: Is the European Crash Test Standard Comprehensive Enough?
• Retrofit Bridge Rail Design and Testing for a Historic Texas Steel Truss Bridge
• Some Limitations of the Models in the Highway Safety Manual to Predict Run-off-Road Crashes