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Concrete Barrier Alignment

Question
State WI
Description Text

I was reading the quarterly reports that indicate that a 4" gap between barriers with chamfering may be considered to be acceptable.  Has there been research on far one face of barrier can be out of alignment to the adjacent face (see picture)? 



Portable Barriers


Date July 9, 2009
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Attachment faulting barrier.pdf
Response
Response
(active) 		With regards to permanent concrete barrier, we would recommend keeping the lateral offset or alignment offset minimized to eliminate snag. Variations of 1" or less would be preferred.


For the temporary barrier installation shown in your photo, we would prefer that the alignment gap be 1" or less, but we believe that gaps as large as 2" are likely permissible. The rationale behind the larger alignment gap allowance is that temporary barrier segments will move when impacted and cause changes in the alignment gap as the impacting vehicle reaches the barrier joint. Thus, a joint that has a given initial alignment will move change alignment as the barrier is impacted. This allows for more tolerance for the temporary barrier gap. Alignments gaps larger than 2" would indicate problems with the temporary barrier joint and would require investigation.
Date July 9, 2009
Previous Views (101) Favorites (0)