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Our prefabrication abilities allow us to design jersey barriers customized to fit your needs. Harper Precast is one of the leading concrete jersey barrier manufacturers in Utah and the Intermountain West. Concrete Jersey Barriers by Harper Precast Other versions of concrete barriers are available, including constant slope, single slope, and vertical that pass crash tests administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This design has the same 3-inch-high base as the original design, but slopes 10 inches above the pavement to better absorb proportional impacts and prevent a rollover. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the most commonly used version of the jersey barrier is the F-shape barrier.
#Jersey barrier driver
Engineers and manufacturers have tweaked the design for decades to ensure optimal driver safety. The design of the jersey barrier appears simple, but it is actually highly sophisticated. In fact, it’s well-known among the transportation industries that jersey barriers or K-rail are temporary concrete traffic barriers. The main advantage of using these rather than other concrete barrier types is that they are modular and easier to move. Jersey barriers can also reroute traffic and protect pedestrians during highway construction. Instead, the wall redirects the vehicles into further head-on collisions. These specifically designed barriers help minimize vehicle damage in cases when cars hit incidentally.
#Jersey barrier portable
Today’s jersey barrier is a portable concrete barrier that separates lanes of traffic.
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It wasn’t until 20 years later that the design popularized throughout the nation when New Jersey engineers inspired by the California project developed barriers for the state’s transit system.Īfter that, the New Jersey highway officials spent 15 years developing the concrete jersey barrier design used throughout the country to this day. Engineering News-Record, a widely read publication of the time, covered the feat. The project received national attention and praise for decreasing collisions.
#Jersey barrier drivers
The barriers also included iron anchors that hold them to the ground and reflectors that helped drivers navigate. Unlike the ones of modern society, they were hollow inside with steel reinforcements. They were 26-inch-high, 28-inch-wide, 10-foot-long sections weighing 3,000 pounds each. These concrete barriers were similar to the ones you know today.
#Jersey barrier install
Unfortunately, the Grapevine Grade had a higher than average incidence of fatal head-on collisions, which prompted the California Division of Highways to install temporary concrete median barriers in 1946. These beams did a decent job but were often damaged by drivers who used them for braking and brushed them from time to time. Estimates found that nearly 6,5000 vehicles used the stretch of highway daily.Īt the time, the Grapevine only had wooden beams separating the lanes going in the opposite direction. In 1934, the state of California reconfigured the “Grapevine Grade,” a hazardous portion of the CA interstate that included the original “Deadman’s Curve.” The Grapevine consists of a curving 6% descent that linked Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. However, the concrete formation used today wasn’t created until the 1950s in New Jersey. This concrete barrier came on the scene in 1946 on the California mountain highway. The Origin of the Jersey BarrierĪmerica is the birthplace of many things-democracy, the Internet, and the jersey barrier.
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Let’s discuss the history of the jersey barrier so you might understand whether it is the right barricade for any of your future projects. A lot has changed since then, but the main function of the concrete barrier remains the same. Jersey barriers first made an appearance over 74 years ago on the California interstate. What you might not know is the history of the concrete jersey barrier, its name, capabilities, and other details. Now, event planners often use them to facilitate concerts and other large gatherings better. These jersey barriers even helped protect buildings from any further incidents during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
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You might even notice them being used as flood-walls when hurricanes and flash floods occur throughout the country. These barricades are a normal part of everyday life that you probably only think about it when avoiding it as you drive. Take a drive down the highway, and you will notice the concrete barriers lining the off-ramps.
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