Cost-effective treatment of existing guardrail systems.

Details

• Creators:
  Wiebelhaus, Mitch J. ; Lechtenberg, Karla A. ; Sicking, Dean L. ; Faller, Ronald K. ; Rosenbaugh, Scott K.
• Corporate Creators:
  Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Guardrails
  • Modernization
  • Benefit cost analysis
  • Arterial highways
  • Highway safety
  • Slopes
  • Culverts
  • Beams
• Publication/ Report Number:
  TRP-03-254-13
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Kansas
• Corporate Publisher:
  Midwest States Regional Pooled Fund Program ; Nebraska. Dept. of Roads
• Abstract:
  A cost-effective means for upgrading existing guardrail systems with deviations from current practice (i.e., low-rail heights, antiquated end ; treatments, and improper installation) does not exist. As a result these systems remain on U.S. highways. Guardrail systems with deviations from current ; practice may not perform as intended, thus potentially resulting in fatalities and serious injuries from impacts with these safety devices. It is not plausible ; to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries from all guardrail system impacts. However, these risks could be reduced with the proper design, testing, ; installation, and maintenance of guardrail systems. ; This report offers recommendations for upgrading W-beam guardrail systems based on a benefit-to-cost analysis using the Roadside Safety ; Analysis Program (RSAP). This analysis was developed to simulate the most frequent and possible scenarios of existing W-beam guardrail systems with ; deviations from current practice. Before the analysis could be run, the field conditions and common deviations from current practice were reviewed and ; documented during a field investigation. ; This field investigation was conducted on rural arterial highways in the state of Kansas to determine the nature of existing guardrail systems ; with deviations from current practice. The most prominent barrier was the strong-post, W-beam guardrail. Deviations of the existing W-beam were low ; top-rail mounting-height, antiquated end treatments (i.e. turned-down and blunt-end terminals), rail damage, damaged and missing posts and blockouts, ; and insufficient length of need. The W-beam guardrail with low rail heights and turned-down and blunt-end terminals were the focus of the RSAP analysis. ; The varying guardrail system heights were modeled in RSAP by changing the level of containment of the W-beam guardrail system, and the ; antiquated end treatments were predefined features. The roadway and roadside features including obstacles (culverts and slopes) were modeled after those ; found in the field investigation. Finally, cost-effective safety treatments were recommended for existing W-beam guardrail system with low rail height and ; turned-down or blunt-end terminals which shielded culverts and slopes.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SPR-3(017)
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25930/dot_25930_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 26.57 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:858853e12d4c7081adc605c3a291f21ff04db4ef8d068e8b74ec597ac7ed287fa340ec0e0d4b814b98eb55182d152226818cdb9f75f7fb031ee9bc52975a38dd