Barrier Systems 2010
November 2010MOVEABLE BARRIER FOR CONSTRUCTION APPLICATIONS
Barrier Systems, Inc. (BSI) was founded over 25 years ago with a singular vision: creating a moveable concrete barrier. The system uses 1-meter long steel-reinforced barriers that are pinned together to form a continuous wall, and a Barrier Transfer Machine (BTM) lifts the barriers by a modified “T” top and moves the wall one or more lanes to reconfigure the roadway to respond to peak traffic needs. For construction applications, moveable barrier is typically used for inside and outside shoulder work, and for traffic shifts where one side of the road is completely closed for construction and all traffic is shifted over to the other side.
Moveable barrier gives contractors the flexibility to expand the work zone during off-peak traffic hours to create extra haul lanes and bring in larger, more efficient equipment. The lanes can then be returned to traffic during peak hours. This flexibility helps to accelerate the construction process and save substantial construction costs and time-related overhead. Productivity increases are typically seen for excavation, grading, MOT, paving, and structures work. Moveable barrier is particularly useful in A+B bidding where the accelerated contract schedule helps meet time obligations.
Because moveable barrier can return lanes to motorists during peak traffic periods, it an excellent option when agencies are requiring a certain number of lanes to remain open. By using moveable barrier to create contraflow lanes during traffic switches, contractors can satisfy the lane mandates using fewer lanes than temporary concrete barrier (TCB). Because it is not possible to reconfigure TCB on a daily basis, a contractor needs a total of six lanes to keep three lanes open in the peak direction at all times using traditional methods. With the flexibility of moveable barrier, the contractor needs only four or five lanes to meet the same traffic requirements, leaving more room for a larger work zone to increase efficiency and accelerate construction.
Examples of contractor savings and increased efficiency using moveable barrier include:
St. Croix River Bridge, Hudson, WI
- Redecking project finished in one season instead of two
- Over $1 million in construction savings
- Over $1.5 million in user delay savings for the agency
- Moveable barrier combined with an aggressive concrete placement and work schedule reduced the construction schedule from 8 months to 6 weeks
- Construction savings of more than $6 million (25% of the original estimate)
- Contractor finished 81 days early and earned the AGC “Build America” award
ABSORB 350®
The ABSORB 350 system is a non-redirective, gating crash cushion. The system can be attached to the end of moveable, temporary, or permanent concrete barrier without the need to anchor the system to the roadway surface. At 2-feet wide and only 32-inches high, it is ideally suited for narrow areas where road and work space is limited.
- Easy to install, maintain, and relocate
- Requires no foundation or anchoring
- Easy clean-up reduces worker exposure
- Narrow profile is ideal for permanent or temporary sites
- Treat more sites with fewer dollars
TAU-II®
The TAU-II system is designed for hazard widths up to 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) and for capacities from Test Level 1 (50 km/h, 30 mph) to over Test Level 3 (100 km/h, 62 mph). The system is fully redirective and non-gating, and it is ideally suited for hazards such as the ends of rigid barriers, tollbooths, gore points, utility poles, and more.
- Highly reusable system elements
- Low life-cycle costs
- High impact survivability
- Low and high speed applications
- Easy to install and maintain
U-MAD® TRUCK MOUNTED ATTENUATOR (TMA)
U-MAD TMAs offer outstanding performance, excellent life-cycle costs and quick, simple refurbishment. U-MAD is available in various sizes for work zones with speed capacities from 45 to 62 mph (70 km/h to 100 km/h) to supply a wide range of protection for workers, motorists, and equipment. The TMAs are designed to absorb collision energy during rear-end impacts, prevent impacting vehicles from underriding the truck and reducing expensive damage to equipment. The system offers many flexible options in lifts, mounting systems, hydraulics, and controllers to make installation, use, and maintenance as simple as possible. ■
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