In-Service Performance Evaluation of a Cable Median Barrier System on Interstate Highways
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 2
Abstract
Under an experimental features study requested by the Federal Highway Administration, the Indiana Department of Transportation installed a proprietary cable median barrier system, i.e., the Brifen four-rope wire rope safety fence (WRSF), to assess issues in installation, maintenance, and repair of this WRSF system and to evaluate its in-service performance. The WRSF system was installed at two different sites, respectively. A total of 157 median crashes were examined to evaluate the safety performance of the WRSF system in terms of the effectiveness in intercepting errant vehicles and crash outcomes. Field visits were conducted to identify possible improvements to the layout of the WRSF system according to the roadway configurations. The construction and repair costs were examined to provide useful information for cost-effectiveness analysis. Models were developed to enable an in situ estimate of the damage to the WRSF system after each crash. This paper presents the process and findings for the field installation, safety evaluation, and cost analysis.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
AASHTO. (2002). Roadside design guide, AASHTO, Washington, DC.
Baxter, J. R. (2005). FHWA approval letter brief WRSF NCHRP 350 TL-4, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC.
Brifen USA. (2004). Brifen wire rope safety fence (WRSF) product manual, Brifen USA, Oklahoma City.
Emamian, F. (2003). “Brifen wire rope fence.” Final Rep., Traffic Engineering Division, Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation, Oklahoma City.
Federal Highway Administration (FHwA). (2003). Ready-to-use safety technologies: Median barriers, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC.
Kummer, H. W., and Meyer, W. E. (1967). “Tentative skid-resistance requirements for main rural highways.” Rep. NCHRP-37, Highway Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Li, S., Zhu, K., Noureldin, S., and Harris, D. (2005). “Identifying friction variations with the standard smooth tire for network pavement inventory friction testing.” Transporation Research Record 1905, Transportation Research Board,Washington, DC.
Outcalt, W. (2004). “Cable guardrail.” Final Rep. CDOT-DTD-R-2004-10, Research Branch, Colorado Dept.of Transportation, Denver.
Ross, H. E., Sicking, L., Zimmer, R. A., and Michie, J. D. (1993). “Recommended procedures for the safety performance evaluation of highway features.” Rep. NCHRP 350, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Stein, W. (2005). “Brifen wire rope safety fence.” Final Rep., Iowa Dept. of Transportation, Ames, IA.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 21, 2010
Accepted: Oct 14, 2011
Published online: Oct 18, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.