Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Jump to content

Jersey barrier: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
K-rail was retargeted
Meow10811 (talk | contribs)
m marked dead link as per WP:KDL
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit iOS app edit App section source
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 32 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Modular concrete or plastic barrier for separating vehicle traffic}}
{{redirect|K-rails|the Indian rail company|K-Rail (Kerala Rail Development Corporation)}}
{{redirect|K-rails|the Indian rail company|K-Rail (Kerala Rail Development Corporation)}}
[[File:BarreiraNewJersey.JPG|thumb|Jersey barriers on the road]]
[[Image:Jersey barrier 2.png|right|thumb|42-inch (110 cm)-high variation of the Jersey barrier known as an Ontario Tall Wall, used to deflect vehicles from crossing into the opposing lanes of traffic]]


A '''Jersey barrier''', or '''Jersey wall''', is a modular [[concrete]] or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of [[traffic]]. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resulting in a likely [[Head-on collision#Road transport|head-on collision]]. Jersey barriers are also used to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians and workers during [[highway]] construction, as well as temporary and semi-permanent protections against landborne attack such as suicide vehicle bombs. A Jersey barrier also is known as a '''K-rail''',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/research-innovation-system-information/documents/f0017259-staking-k-rail-report-v2.pdf|title=Development of Staking Configurations for K-Rail|author=|date=|publisher=[[California Department of Transportation]]|access-date=31 May 2020}}</ref> a term stipulated in the [[California Department of Transportation]] specification<ref>{{cite web|url=http://midstateconcrete.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=128|title=20' K-Rails (Caltrans Standard)|last=TechXpress.net|date=|website=midstateconcrete.com|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref> for temporary concrete traffic barriers, or colloquially, as a '''Jersey bump'''.
A '''Jersey barrier''', '''Jersey wall''', or '''Jersey bump''' is a modular [[concrete]] or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of [[traffic]]. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resulting in a likely [[Head-on collision#Road transport|head-on collision]]. Jersey barriers are also used to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians and workers during [[highway]] construction. They are named after the U.S. state of [[New Jersey]] which first started using the barriers as separators between lanes of a highway in the 1950s.


The barriers are also known as a '''K-rail''', a term stipulated in the [[California Department of Transportation]] specification for temporary concrete traffic barriers which first started using concrete median barriers in the mid-1940s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Development of Staking Configurations for K-Rail|url=https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/research-innovation-system-information/documents/f0017259-staking-k-rail-report-v2.pdf|access-date=31 May 2020|publisher=[[California Department of Transportation]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=TechXpress.net|title=20' K-Rails (Caltrans Standard)|url=http://midstateconcrete.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=128|access-date=27 September 2018|website=midstateconcrete.com}}</ref>
Jersey barriers were developed in the 1950s, beginning in the U.S. state of [[New Jersey]] as separators between lanes of a highway. Over time, they grew taller (as their effectiveness was demonstrated) and became more modular (as their usefulness as temporary barriers became apparent). Taller barriers have the added advantage of blocking most oncoming headlights. Now, plastic water-filled barriers of the same general shape are also called Jersey barriers.

Over time, different variants were created. Taller variants, such as the '''Ontario Tall Wall''', proved more effective at stopping vehicles and had the added advantage of blocking most oncoming headlights. More modular variants, including plastic water-filled barriers, have been created.


==Development and use==
==Development and use==
[[Image:Jersey barrier 2.png|upright|thumb|42-inch (110&nbsp;cm)-high variation of the Jersey barrier known as an Ontario Tall Wall, used to deflect vehicles from crossing into the opposing lanes of traffic]]
[[Image:Road block.jpg|thumb|Jersey barriers on the road]]
Although it is not clear exactly when or where the first concrete median barriers were used, concrete median barriers were used in the mid-1940s on [[U.S. Route 99]] on the descent from the [[Tehachapi Mountains]] in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] south of [[Bakersfield, California]]. This first generation of concrete barriers was developed to (a) minimize the number of out-of-control trucks penetrating the barrier, and (b) eliminate the need for costly and dangerous median barrier maintenance in high-accident locations with narrow medians – concerns that are as valid today as they were 80 years ago.<ref>Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. [http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_244.pdf ''NCHRP Synthesis 244, "Guardrail and Median Barrier Crashworthiness"'']. 1997. Chapter 5<!-- NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM --></ref><ref name="roadstothefuture" />
[[File:Dora Baghdad soldiers.jpg|thumb|Soldiers taking cover from enemy fire behind Jersey barriers in Baghdad, Iraq, 2007]]


The Jersey barrier, also called New Jersey wall, was developed in the 1950s (introduced in current form in 1959), at [[Stevens Institute of Technology]],<ref name="roadstothefuture">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Jersey_Barrier.html|title=New Jersey Median Barrier History|author=Scott M. Kozel|date=2004-06-21|website=Roads to the Future|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref> [[New Jersey]], United States, under the direction of the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation|New Jersey State Highway Department]] to divide multiple lanes on a highway.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Laurie |editor1-first=Maxine |editor2-last=Mappen |editor2-first=Marc |title=[[Encyclopedia of New Jersey]] |year=2005 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |page=422 }}</ref> A typical Jersey barrier stands {{convert|32|in|cm}} tall and is made of [[Reinforced concrete|steel-reinforced poured concrete]] or plastic.<ref name="FHWA concrete">Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. [http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/ctrmeasures/concrete_barriers/concrt_barriers.pdf "Concrete Barriers."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906163320/http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/ctrmeasures/concrete_barriers/concrt_barriers.pdf |date=2011-09-06 }} FHWA Safety Programme. 2010-09-24.</ref> Many are constructed with the embedded steel reinforcement protruding from each end, allowing them to be incorporated into permanent emplacements when linked to one another by sections of fresh concrete poured on-site.<ref name="BBS 2019-10-01">{{cite web |url=https://bordergroupltd.co.uk/bbs-jersey-barrier |title=BBS Jersey Barrier / bordergroupltd.co.uk |work=Jersey Barrier |publisher=Border Group Ltd |access-date=2019-10-01 }}</ref>
{{cquote|Although it is not clear exactly when or where the first concrete median barriers were used, concrete median barriers were used in the mid-1940s on [[U.S. Route 99|US-99]] on the descent from the [[Tehachapi Mountains]] in the [[Central Valley (California)|central valley]] south of [[Bakersfield, California]]. This first generation of concrete barriers was developed to (a) minimize the number of out-of-control trucks penetrating the barrier, and (b) eliminate the need for costly and dangerous median barrier maintenance in high-accident locations with narrow medians – concerns that are as valid today as they were 50 years ago.<ref>Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. [http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_244.pdf ''NCHRP Synthesis 244, "Guardrail and Median Barrier Crashworthiness"'']. 1997. Chapter 5<!-- NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM --></ref><ref name="roadstothefuture" />}}


Their widespread use in road construction has led to wide application as a generic, portable barrier during construction projects and temporary rerouting of traffic into stopgap carpool and rush-hour reversing highway lanes.<ref name="McDevitt">{{cite journal |last1=McDevitt |first1=Charles F. |date=March–April 2000 |title=Basics of Concrete Barriers |journal=Public Roads |volume=63 |issue=5 |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |location= Washington, D.C. |url=https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/marchapril-2000/basics-concrete-barriers }}</ref>
The Jersey barrier, also called New Jersey wall, was developed in the 1950s (introduced in current form in 1959), at the [[Stevens Institute of Technology]],<ref name="roadstothefuture">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Jersey_Barrier.html|title=New Jersey Median Barrier History|author=Scott M. Kozel|date=2004-06-21|website=Roads to the Future|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref> [[New Jersey]], United States, under the direction of the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation|New Jersey State Highway Department]] to divide multiple lanes on a highway.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|editor1-last=Laurie |editor1-first=Maxine |editor2-last=Mappen |editor2-first=Marc |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of New Jersey]] |year=2005 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |page=422 }}</ref> A typical Jersey barrier stands {{convert|32|in|cm}} tall and is made of [[Reinforced concrete|steel-reinforced poured concrete]] or plastic.<ref name="FHWA concrete">Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. [http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/ctrmeasures/concrete_barriers/concrt_barriers.pdf "Concrete Barriers."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906163320/http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/ctrmeasures/concrete_barriers/concrt_barriers.pdf |date=2011-09-06 }} FHWA Safety Programme. 2010-09-24.</ref> Many are constructed with the embedded steel reinforcement protruding from each end, allowing them to be incorporated into permanent emplacements when linked to one another by sections of fresh concrete poured on-site.<ref name="BBS 2019-10-01">{{cite web |url=https://bordergroupltd.co.uk/bbs-jersey-barrier |title=BBS Jersey Barrier / bordergroupltd.co.uk |work=Jersey Barrier |publisher=Border Group Ltd |accessdate=2019-10-01 }}</ref>


Most of the original barriers constructed in New Jersey in the 1950s and early 1960s were not "modular"; they were formed from concrete poured in place. Many of the first installations (Route 46 in Bergen County and Passaic County, for instance) were about {{convert|2|ft|cm|spell=in}} tall, much shorter than modern heights. Some dividers on county or local roads may have been lower than that, since they replaced a raised concrete rumble strip that would dissuade, but not prevent, traffic crossing from one lane to another. Route 46 had a rumble strip in many places before the higher barrier was gradually installed. These lower dividers are visible in old photographs. When the [[The Outlets at Bergen Town Center|Bergen Mall]] was first opened in [[Paramus, New Jersey]], rumble strip dividers were extensively used on the roadway (Forest Avenue) that separated the grocery stores from the mall proper.{{citation needed|date = October 2017}}
Their widespread use in road construction has led to wide application as a generic, portable barrier during construction projects and temporary rerouting of traffic into stopgap carpool and rush-hour reversing highway lanes.<ref name="McDevitt">{{cite journal |last1=McDevitt |first1=Charles F. |date=March–April 2000 |title=Basics of Concrete Barriers |journal=Public Roads |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages= |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |location= Washington, D.C. |doi= |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00marapr/concrete.cfm |accessdate= }}</ref>


The design of the Jersey barrier was specifically intended to minimize damage in incidental accidents and reduce the likelihood of a car crossing into oncoming lanes in the event of a [[collision]]. In common shallow-angle hits, [[sheet-metal]] damage is minimized by allowing the vehicle [[tire]]s to ride up on the lower sloped face. Head-on vehicle collisions are minimized by gradually lifting the vehicle and pivoting it away from oncoming vehicles and back into traffic heading in its original direction.<ref name="FHWA FAQ">Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. [https://highways.dot.gov/safety/rwd/reduce-crash-severity/frequently-asked-questions "FAQ"] FHWA Safety Programme. 2017-08-31.{{Moved resource|date=March 2024}}</ref>
Most of the original barriers constructed in New Jersey in the 1950s and early 1960s were not "modular"; they were poured in place the way curbs are. Many of the first installations (Route 46 in Bergen County and Passaic County, for instance) were much shorter than the heights discussed here, typically about two feet tall. Some dividers on county or local roads may have been lower than that since they replaced a raised concrete rumble strip that would dissuade, but not prevent, traffic crossing from one lane to another. Even Route 46 had the rumble strip in many places before gradually, the higher barrier was installed. These lower dividers are visible in old photographs. When the [[The Outlets at Bergen Town Center|Bergen Mall]] was first opened in Paramus, these rumble strip dividers were extensively used on the roadway (Forest Avenue) that separated the grocery stores from the mall proper.{{citation needed|date = October 2017}}

The design of the Jersey barrier was specifically intended to minimize damage in incidental accidents and reduce the likelihood of a car crossing into oncoming lanes in the event of a [[collision]]. In common shallow-angle hits, [[sheet-metal]] damage is minimized by allowing the vehicle [[tire]]s to ride up on the lower sloped face. Head-on vehicle collisions are minimized by gradually lifting the vehicle and pivoting it away from oncoming vehicles and back into traffic heading in its original direction.<ref name="FHWA FAQ">Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. [https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/countermeasures/faqs/qa_bttabr.cfm#brrs4 "FAQ"] FHWA Safety Programme. 2017-08-31.</ref>

Modern variations include the [[constant-slope barrier]] and the [[F-shape barrier]]. The F-shape is generally similar to the Jersey barrier in appearance, but is taller, with somewhat different angles.<ref name="McDevitt" />

The UK equivalent is the [[concrete step barrier]].{{Citation needed|date = October 2017}}

First tested in 1968 by the then Department of Highways in [[Ontario, Canada]], the '''Ontario Tall Wall''' is a variant of the Jersey barrier.<ref name="Giblin">{{cite journal|last1=Giblin |first1=Kelly A. |date=Summer 2006 |title=The Jersey Barrier |journal=Invention & Technology |volume=22 |issue=1 |publisher=American Heritage Publishing |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/1/2006_1_26.shtml |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609144603/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/1/2006_1_26.shtml |archivedate=June 9, 2010 }}</ref> Standing at {{convert|42|in|cm|sigfig=3}}, it is {{convert|10|in|cm}} taller than the standard Jersey barrier. In Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation is replacing guiderails (steel guardrail and steel box-beam) with these barriers on [[400-series highways]].{{Citation needed|date = October 2017}}


The [[New Jersey Turnpike Authority]] developed and tested a similar, but heavily reinforced, design. This barrier design has been credited with effectively containing and redirecting larger vehicles, including [[semi-trailer truck|semi-trailer]] (tractor-trailer) trucks.<ref name="McDevitt" /> The states of [[New York State Department of Transportation|New York]], [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation|Massachusetts]] and [[New Jersey Department of Transportation|New Jersey]] have adopted the taller barrier for their roads, as compared to the standard {{convert|32|in|cm}} suggested by the [[Federal Highway Administration]].<ref name="Giblin" />
The [[New Jersey Turnpike Authority]] developed and tested a similar, but heavily reinforced, design. This barrier design has been credited with effectively containing and redirecting larger vehicles, including [[semi-trailer truck|semi-trailer]] (tractor-trailer) trucks.<ref name="McDevitt" /> The states of [[New York State Department of Transportation|New York]], [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation|Massachusetts]] and [[New Jersey Department of Transportation|New Jersey]] have adopted the taller barrier for their roads, as compared to the standard {{convert|32|in|cm}} suggested by the [[Federal Highway Administration]].<ref name="Giblin" />
Line 32: Line 27:
The [[2010 G-20 Toronto summit]] used modified modular Jersey barriers with wired fencing bolted onto the concrete. The fence used the barrier as sturdy base to prevent protesters from toppling the fence around the security zone at the [[Metro Toronto Convention Centre]].{{citation needed|date = October 2017}}
The [[2010 G-20 Toronto summit]] used modified modular Jersey barriers with wired fencing bolted onto the concrete. The fence used the barrier as sturdy base to prevent protesters from toppling the fence around the security zone at the [[Metro Toronto Convention Centre]].{{citation needed|date = October 2017}}


[[File:Dora Baghdad soldiers.jpg|thumb|Soldiers taking cover from enemy fire behind Jersey barriers in Baghdad, Iraq, 2007]]
The U.S. military nicknamed the devices as "Qaddafi Blocks" after [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing|truck bomb attacks in Beirut in 1983]] resulted in more widespread use in military installations. Sometimes they are deployed to form a [[chicane]] to slow vehicular traffic arriving at military installations or other secure areas.{{citation needed|date = October 2017}}
The U.S. military nicknamed the devices "Qaddafi Blocks" after [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing|truck bomb attacks in Beirut in 1983]] resulted in more widespread use in military installations. Sometimes they are deployed to form a [[chicane]] to slow vehicular traffic arriving at military installations or other secure areas.{{citation needed|date = October 2017}} During the US [[Occupation of Iraq (2003–2011)|occupation of Iraq]] jersey barriers were set up in cities as form of urban warfare to combat [[Iraqi resistance]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Cities Around the World: Struggles and Solutions to Urban Life |date=2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=189}}</ref>


The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) mandates specific design requirements for their [https://www.eiffeltrading.com/blog/post/temporary-precast-barrier-wall-specifications-in-ohio/6ZrE7eYfEPdmkcVwmtGRxf precast concrete barrier walls]. ODOT has marked all compliant precast concrete barrier walls with “350, indicating that they adhere to the requirements laid out in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's Report 350. Without this marking, a barrier wall is not approved for use in Ohio.
The [[Ohio Department of Transportation]] mandates specific design requirements for their precast concrete barrier walls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eiffeltrading.com/blog/post/temporary-precast-barrier-wall-specifications-in-ohio/6ZrE7eYfEPdmkcVwmtGRxf|title = Temporary Precast Barrier Wall Specifications in Ohio &#124; Eiffel Trading}}{{dead link|date=October 2024}}</ref> The department has marked all compliant precast concrete barrier walls with "350", indicating that they adhere to the requirements laid out in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's Report 350. Without this marking, a barrier wall is not approved for use in Ohio.


==Variations==
==Plastic Jersey barriers==
Modern variations include the [[constant-slope barrier]] and the [[F-shape barrier]]. The F-shape is generally similar to the Jersey barrier in appearance, but is taller, with somewhat different angles.<ref name="McDevitt" />
[[File:HK West Kln Austin Road West Sidewalk n Traffic Control 1.JPG|thumb|left|Plastic Jersey barriers ([[Hong Kong]], 2008)]]


The UK equivalent is the [[concrete step barrier]].{{Citation needed|date = October 2017}}
Hollow [[polyethylene]] barriers have been developed for short-term applications where portability is important. These plastic barriers are normally filled with water after placement on-site to provide a moderate level of crash protection, then emptied prior to removal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnnyonthespot.com/blog/plastic-jersey-barrier-rental/|title=Water-Filled Plastic Jersey Barriers|first=|last=|date=30 March 2015|website=Johnny on the Spot|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trafficsafetyservice.com/homeland-security/water-filled-barriers/|title=Water Filled Barriers – Linkable Traffic Safety Barriers|first=|last=|date=|website=trafficsafetyservice.com|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamiscorp.com/press/general/winterize-plastic-water-filled-barriers/|title=How to Winterize your Plastic Water-filled Barriers|author=|date=10 February 2010|website=Tamis Corporation|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref> They are not designed to deflect vehicles, so vehicles may penetrate the barriers.<ref>FHWA. [http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/nchrp_350/catg3.cfm "NCHRP Report 350: Devices in Work Zones - Category 3"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614235140/http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov///roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/nchrp_350/catg3.cfm |date=2010-06-14 }}. ''Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features''. 2004-04-05.</ref> These barriers can also be filled with sand at the cost of reduced portability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.markstaar.com/barrier-31-x-120-3110-155.html|title=Barrier 31" x 120" (3110-155)|author=|date=|website=MARKSTAAR|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.plasticjersey.com/products/water-filled-barriers/|title=Water-filled Barriers|author=|date=|website=Plastic Jersey|accessdate=27 September 2018}}</ref>
{{clear}}


First tested in 1968 by the then Department of Highways in [[Ontario, Canada]], the '''Ontario Tall Wall''' is a variant of the Jersey barrier.<ref name="Giblin">{{cite journal|last1=Giblin |first1=Kelly A. |date=Summer 2006 |title=The Jersey Barrier |journal=Invention & Technology |volume=22 |issue=1 |publisher=American Heritage Publishing |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/1/2006_1_26.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609144603/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2006/1/2006_1_26.shtml |archive-date=June 9, 2010 }}</ref> Standing at {{convert|42|in|cm|sigfig=3}}, it is {{convert|10|in|cm}} taller than the standard Jersey barrier. Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has been replacing guiderails (steel guardrail and steel box-beam) with these tall wall barriers on [[400-series highways]] since the early 1990s, while the City of Toronto is doing likewise on portions of the [[Gardiner Expressway]] and [[Don Valley Parkway]].
== In popular culture ==

A use of Jersey barriers other than for traffic control was depicted in the motion picture ''[[Volcano (1997 film)|Volcano]]'', where Office of Emergency Management Director Michael "Mike" Roark ([[Tommy Lee Jones]]) tries to stop a lava flow from causing further destruction of [[Wilshire Boulevard]] in [[Los Angeles]]. He orders Jersey barriers, referring to them by the California name, K-rails, to be set up double-stacked in a horseshoe shape, which, combined with flooding the dammed-up lava with water, halts the lava flow.
===Plastic Jersey barriers===
[[File:HK West Kln Austin Road West Sidewalk n Traffic Control 1.JPG|thumb|Plastic Jersey barriers ([[Hong Kong]], 2008)]]

Hollow [[polyethylene]] barriers have been developed for short-term applications where portability is important. These plastic barriers are normally filled with water after placement on-site to provide a moderate level of crash protection, then emptied prior to removal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnnyonthespot.com/blog/plastic-jersey-barrier-rental/|title=Water-Filled Plastic Jersey Barriers|date=30 March 2015|website=Johnny on the Spot|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trafficsafetyservice.com/homeland-security/water-filled-barriers/|title=Water Filled Barriers – Linkable Traffic Safety Barriers|website=trafficsafetyservice.com|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tamiscorp.com/press/general/winterize-plastic-water-filled-barriers/|title=How to Winterize your Plastic Water-filled Barriers|date=10 February 2010|website=Tamis Corporation|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref> They are not designed to deflect vehicles, so vehicles may penetrate the barriers.<ref>FHWA. [http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/nchrp_350/catg3.cfm "NCHRP Report 350: Devices in Work Zones - Category 3"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614235140/http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov///roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/nchrp_350/catg3.cfm |date=2010-06-14 }}. ''Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features''. 2004-04-05.</ref> These barriers can also be filled with sand at the cost of reduced portability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.markstaar.com/barrier-31-x-120-3110-155.html|title=Barrier 31" x 120" (3110-155)|website=MARKSTAAR|access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.plasticjersey.com/products/water-filled-barriers/|title=Water-filled Barriers|website=Plastic Jersey|date=19 May 2018 |access-date=27 September 2018}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 71: Line 70:
[[Category:Anti-tank obstacles]]
[[Category:Anti-tank obstacles]]
[[Category:Fortification (architectural elements)]]
[[Category:Fortification (architectural elements)]]
[[Category:Road safety]]
[[Category:Protective barriers]]
[[Category:Protective barriers]]
[[Category:Road safety]]
[[Category:Road traffic management]]
[[Category:Road traffic management]]

Latest revision as of 16:59, 28 October 2024

Jersey barriers on the road

A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resulting in a likely head-on collision. Jersey barriers are also used to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians and workers during highway construction. They are named after the U.S. state of New Jersey which first started using the barriers as separators between lanes of a highway in the 1950s.

The barriers are also known as a K-rail, a term stipulated in the California Department of Transportation specification for temporary concrete traffic barriers which first started using concrete median barriers in the mid-1940s.[1][2]

Over time, different variants were created. Taller variants, such as the Ontario Tall Wall, proved more effective at stopping vehicles and had the added advantage of blocking most oncoming headlights. More modular variants, including plastic water-filled barriers, have been created.

Development and use

[edit]
42-inch (110 cm)-high variation of the Jersey barrier known as an Ontario Tall Wall, used to deflect vehicles from crossing into the opposing lanes of traffic

Although it is not clear exactly when or where the first concrete median barriers were used, concrete median barriers were used in the mid-1940s on U.S. Route 99 on the descent from the Tehachapi Mountains in the Central Valley south of Bakersfield, California. This first generation of concrete barriers was developed to (a) minimize the number of out-of-control trucks penetrating the barrier, and (b) eliminate the need for costly and dangerous median barrier maintenance in high-accident locations with narrow medians – concerns that are as valid today as they were 80 years ago.[3][4]

The Jersey barrier, also called New Jersey wall, was developed in the 1950s (introduced in current form in 1959), at Stevens Institute of Technology,[4] New Jersey, United States, under the direction of the New Jersey State Highway Department to divide multiple lanes on a highway.[5] A typical Jersey barrier stands 32 inches (81 cm) tall and is made of steel-reinforced poured concrete or plastic.[6] Many are constructed with the embedded steel reinforcement protruding from each end, allowing them to be incorporated into permanent emplacements when linked to one another by sections of fresh concrete poured on-site.[7]

Their widespread use in road construction has led to wide application as a generic, portable barrier during construction projects and temporary rerouting of traffic into stopgap carpool and rush-hour reversing highway lanes.[8]

Most of the original barriers constructed in New Jersey in the 1950s and early 1960s were not "modular"; they were formed from concrete poured in place. Many of the first installations (Route 46 in Bergen County and Passaic County, for instance) were about two feet (61 cm) tall, much shorter than modern heights. Some dividers on county or local roads may have been lower than that, since they replaced a raised concrete rumble strip that would dissuade, but not prevent, traffic crossing from one lane to another. Route 46 had a rumble strip in many places before the higher barrier was gradually installed. These lower dividers are visible in old photographs. When the Bergen Mall was first opened in Paramus, New Jersey, rumble strip dividers were extensively used on the roadway (Forest Avenue) that separated the grocery stores from the mall proper.[citation needed]

The design of the Jersey barrier was specifically intended to minimize damage in incidental accidents and reduce the likelihood of a car crossing into oncoming lanes in the event of a collision. In common shallow-angle hits, sheet-metal damage is minimized by allowing the vehicle tires to ride up on the lower sloped face. Head-on vehicle collisions are minimized by gradually lifting the vehicle and pivoting it away from oncoming vehicles and back into traffic heading in its original direction.[9]

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority developed and tested a similar, but heavily reinforced, design. This barrier design has been credited with effectively containing and redirecting larger vehicles, including semi-trailer (tractor-trailer) trucks.[8] The states of New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey have adopted the taller barrier for their roads, as compared to the standard 32 inches (81 cm) suggested by the Federal Highway Administration.[10]

Designs with two rectangular notches at the bottom (through the short axis) allow for forklift-style lifting by front-end loaders. Barriers meant for short-term placement, especially in military and security barrier uses, might include steel rebar loops embedded in the top surface for rapid hook-and-cable system lifting.[citation needed]

The 2010 G-20 Toronto summit used modified modular Jersey barriers with wired fencing bolted onto the concrete. The fence used the barrier as sturdy base to prevent protesters from toppling the fence around the security zone at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.[citation needed]

Soldiers taking cover from enemy fire behind Jersey barriers in Baghdad, Iraq, 2007

The U.S. military nicknamed the devices "Qaddafi Blocks" after truck bomb attacks in Beirut in 1983 resulted in more widespread use in military installations. Sometimes they are deployed to form a chicane to slow vehicular traffic arriving at military installations or other secure areas.[citation needed] During the US occupation of Iraq jersey barriers were set up in cities as form of urban warfare to combat Iraqi resistance.[11]

The Ohio Department of Transportation mandates specific design requirements for their precast concrete barrier walls.[12] The department has marked all compliant precast concrete barrier walls with "350", indicating that they adhere to the requirements laid out in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's Report 350. Without this marking, a barrier wall is not approved for use in Ohio.

Variations

[edit]

Modern variations include the constant-slope barrier and the F-shape barrier. The F-shape is generally similar to the Jersey barrier in appearance, but is taller, with somewhat different angles.[8]

The UK equivalent is the concrete step barrier.[citation needed]

First tested in 1968 by the then Department of Highways in Ontario, Canada, the Ontario Tall Wall is a variant of the Jersey barrier.[10] Standing at 42 inches (107 cm), it is 10 inches (25 cm) taller than the standard Jersey barrier. Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has been replacing guiderails (steel guardrail and steel box-beam) with these tall wall barriers on 400-series highways since the early 1990s, while the City of Toronto is doing likewise on portions of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.

Plastic Jersey barriers

[edit]
Plastic Jersey barriers (Hong Kong, 2008)

Hollow polyethylene barriers have been developed for short-term applications where portability is important. These plastic barriers are normally filled with water after placement on-site to provide a moderate level of crash protection, then emptied prior to removal.[13][14][15] They are not designed to deflect vehicles, so vehicles may penetrate the barriers.[16] These barriers can also be filled with sand at the cost of reduced portability.[17][18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Development of Staking Configurations for K-Rail" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. ^ TechXpress.net. "20' K-Rails (Caltrans Standard)". midstateconcrete.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  3. ^ Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. NCHRP Synthesis 244, "Guardrail and Median Barrier Crashworthiness". 1997. Chapter 5
  4. ^ a b Scott M. Kozel (2004-06-21). "New Jersey Median Barrier History". Roads to the Future. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  5. ^ Laurie, Maxine; Mappen, Marc, eds. (2005). Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. p. 422.
  6. ^ Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. "Concrete Barriers." Archived 2011-09-06 at the Wayback Machine FHWA Safety Programme. 2010-09-24.
  7. ^ "BBS Jersey Barrier / bordergroupltd.co.uk". Jersey Barrier. Border Group Ltd. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. ^ a b c McDevitt, Charles F. (March–April 2000). "Basics of Concrete Barriers". Public Roads. 63 (5). Washington, D.C.: Federal Highway Administration.
  9. ^ Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Washington, D.C. "FAQ" FHWA Safety Programme. 2017-08-31.[moved resource?]
  10. ^ a b Giblin, Kelly A. (Summer 2006). "The Jersey Barrier". Invention & Technology. 22 (1). American Heritage Publishing. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010.
  11. ^ Cities Around the World: Struggles and Solutions to Urban Life. ABC-CLIO. 2019. p. 189.
  12. ^ "Temporary Precast Barrier Wall Specifications in Ohio | Eiffel Trading".[dead link]
  13. ^ "Water-Filled Plastic Jersey Barriers". Johnny on the Spot. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Water Filled Barriers – Linkable Traffic Safety Barriers". trafficsafetyservice.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  15. ^ "How to Winterize your Plastic Water-filled Barriers". Tamis Corporation. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  16. ^ FHWA. "NCHRP Report 350: Devices in Work Zones - Category 3" Archived 2010-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features. 2004-04-05.
  17. ^ "Barrier 31" x 120" (3110-155)". MARKSTAAR. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Water-filled Barriers". Plastic Jersey. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
[edit]