Components, systems and materials › Road furniture and safety › Concrete crash barrier
Concrete crash barrier
What it is
A concrete crash barrier is a continuous rigid wall with a profiled face that redirects vehicles with little deflection.
Where it is used
Medians of expressways and urban flyovers, bridge edges, narrow medians where no deflection space exists, and work zones (precast units).
How it works
The sloping lower face lets tyres climb slightly, lifting the vehicle and turning it parallel to the barrier, while the upper face stops it. Because the wall hardly moves, impact energy goes into the vehicle's crush zones, which is why profile and height matter for occupant safety.
Types
- New Jersey profile
- F-shape profile
- single-slope barrier
- vertical wall
- precast temporary barriers linked with pins
Materials
Reinforced or plain concrete cast in situ by slipform or formwork, or precast units with connectors; dowels into the deck or a footing.
Profile, height and reinforcement come from a crash-tested design for the required containment level. On bridges, the barrier and its anchorage into the deck are designed for the specified impact load. Joints align with deck joints. Drainage slots are provided where needed without weakening the barrier.
Installation and QA steps
- Prepare base or deck dowels.
- Slipform or cast in sections, keeping profile tolerances.
- Form joints at specified spacing and at deck joints.
- Cure properly.
- Check height and line, apply markings or delineators.
- Wrong profile or height after overlays
- spalling and exposed steel from poor cover
- gaps or unshielded ends that vehicles strike head-on
- precast units without proper connections
Codes cited
- IRC:119 (India): Guidelines for traffic safety barriers.
- IRC:6 (India): Standard specifications for road bridges: loads and load combinations.
- EN 1317 (series) (Europe): Road restraint systems: performance classes and impact test methods.
- AASHTO MASH (USA): Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware: crash test procedures for roadside hardware.
Cited by number only. We do not reproduce code text, tables or figures.
Related
Generic description for education. We do not name, endorse or compare manufacturers or products.
Found an error? Write to indiacongroupofengineers [at] gmail [dot] com. For corrections and feedback. We never ask for payment or personal details.