Concrete Jersey Barriers
The name Jersey Barrier came into existence after the barriers were installed on a New Jersey highway called Route 22 in Hunterdon County. They were originally 19 inches wide and 30 inches high with parabolic concave faces which helped to redirect any vehicles. The principle was that any vehicle which struck the barrier would be redirected into the flow of traffic without bringing it to a sudden halt.
When the barriers were introduced they did reduce the number of accidents and were hailed as a success. As time went by it became clear that some vehicles, particularly larger ones, were scaling the barriers and crossing into oncoming vehicles. This led to a review of the concrete barriers and engineers noticed that as they increased the height and the width of the barrier the accident rates fell. The result was a barrier that was 32 inches high and 24 inches wide; this was introduced in 1959 and was soon taken up by other state highways. The Jersey Barrier then became the standard specification for road barriers for many decades.
More recently there have been a number of alternative designs that have been introduced as companies and organisations have tried to perfect the design and reduce accident rates. One of note for the UK us the concrete step barrier. This barrier was developed in Holland and offers some clear advantages. The concrete barrier is supposed to completely eliminate crossover incidents for all vehicle types, and as such reduces fatalities. It also has very low maintenance costs and can potentially be maintenance free for 50 years.
Jersey Barriers were the first step in a long process of innovation for the road traffic barrier. They have saved many lives over the years and have truly stood the test of time.
JP Concrete offer a jersey style barrier; this can be purchased but we also offer a concrete barrier hire service. For more details please get in touch with one of our staff.
