United States Department of Transportation
i
Development of a MASH TL-4 Portable Concrete Barrier with Large Scupper
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2024-11-01
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[PDF-20.04 MB]
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Edition:Technical Report: August 2020–December 2022
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Abstract:Portable concrete barriers are commonly used as temporary positive protection in work zone applications to shield motorists from hazards in the work zone and protect workers from errant vehicles. They are also used in permanent applications as a median barrier to mitigate serious cross-median crashes by preventing penetration of errant vehicles into oncoming traffic. When implemented in flood-prone areas, the solid nature of these portable concrete barriers can act as a dam to floodwaters, as seen in Texas during Hurricane Harvey. This damming effect can raise the height of floodwaters and increase the severity of flooding on highways and surrounding roads and in communities. Floodwaters can also push long lengths of free-standing portable concrete barriers across multiple lanes of a freeway, effectively closing the facility until the barrier can be disconnected and reinstalled or transported off site. In this study, a new portable concrete barrier with large openings (i.e., drainage scuppers) was developed to help mitigate the effects and consequences of severe flooding on a roadway and the adjacent community. Finite element simulations were used to evaluate design features, and laboratory testing was performed to evaluate the hydraulic efficiency of barrier designs in a variety of simulated flood conditions. A concrete single-slope profile median barrier with a large scupper was selected for crash testing in accordance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test Level 4 (TL-4) impact conditions and evaluation criteria. The portable concrete barrier with large scuppers was determined to be MASH TL-4 compliant and is available for implementation in areas susceptible to flooding, with the goals of reducing flooding severity, decreasing risk to motorists, and reducing the level of flood damage to both highways and surrounding areas.
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