DELINEATION OF CONCRETE SAFETY SHAPED BARRIERS

In this paper, the results of a study of five delineation treatments for concrete safety shaped barriers are presented. These treatments were tested along a lighted urban freeway in Houston, Texas. A low-light video camera and time-lapse video recorder were mounted above each treatment to record nighttime traffic next to the barrier before and after the treatments were installed. Nighttime subjective evaluations were conducted when the treatments were newly installed and also after the treatments had been in place for several months and had become dirty. Study researchers also measured the visibility distances of the treatments at periodic intervals after delineation installation. The results showed that the treatments had little effect on lane distributions and vehicle lateral distances from the barrier. Subjects rated the side-mounted cube-corner lenses at 50-ft spacings as the brightest and most effective treatment of those studied. However, lane straddling rates may have increased slightly next to this treatment. Visibility data showed that the cube-corner lenses lost less of their original visiblity over time than did reflective sheeting. Also, side-mounted delineation was found to become dirty and lose its visibility faster than top-mounted delineation. On the basis of the measurements taken, top-mounted cube-corner delineators at spacings no greater than 200 ft were recommended for delineating concrete safety shaped barriers.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1160/1160-012.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=DELINEATION+OF+CONCRETE+SAFETY+SHAPED+BARRIERS&author=G.+Ullman&author=C.+Dudek&publication_year=1988
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030904670x
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1160, Traffic Control Devices 1988. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Ullman, Gerald L
  • Dudek, Conrad L
• Publication Date: 1988

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 97-104
• Monograph Title: Traffic control devices 1988
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1160
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Field tests; Highway delineators; Median barriers; Night visibility; Performance evaluations; Recommendations; Traffic barriers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers
• Old TRIS Terms: Concrete safety shapes; Delineators (Traffic)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Research; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00478101
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030904670x
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Dec 31 1988 12:00AM