Proven Safety Countermeasures: Median Barriers

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Median barriers
  • Medians
  • Traffic safety
  • Highway safety
  • Countermeasures
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-SA-21-037
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety
• Abstract:
  Median barriers are longitudinal barriers that separate opposing traffic on a divided highway and are designed to redirect vehicles striking either side of the barrier. Median barriers significantly reduce the number of cross-median crashes, which are attributed to the relatively high speeds that are typical on divided highways. AASHTO’s Roadside Design Guide (RDG) recommends guidelines for the use of median barriers on high-speed, fully controlled access roadways for locations where the median is 30 ft in width or less and the average daily traffic (ADT) is greater than 20,000 vehicles per day (vpd). For locations with median widths greater than 50 ft and where the ADT is less than 20,000 vpd, a median barrier is optional. For locations where the median is between 30 and 50 feet, the RDG suggests an analysis to determine the cost effectiveness of median barrier installation. Median barriers can be cable, metal-beam, or concrete.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/66698/dot_66698_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 355.14 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3e9d07071f06922086c3a50264e8874cf80ffac2021ae9aa704a46da42569100980869fbc17b86e703806c58b10aa4e442e9695bc292c9bb2ae1c6f281dab990