Evaluation of Barriers for Very High Speed Roadways (0-6071-2)

As TxDOT plans for future expansion of the state's highway network, interest in higher design speeds has been expressed as a means of promoting faster and more efficient travel and movement of goods within the state. TxDOT funded project 0-6071 as part of a proactive consideration of safety on these highspeed facilities. This project began the process of developing roadside safety hardware suitable for use on high-speed highways. The impact conditions selected for the design, testing, and evaluation of this highspeed hardware include a speed of 85 mi/h and an angle of 25 degrees for barrier impacts. The design vehicles are those specified by the pending AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) and include a 5000-lb, ½-ton, 4-door pickup truck and a 2425-lb passenger car. After consideration of several barrier systems, two designs were selected for further evaluation through full-scale crash testing. These included an energy absorbing bridge rail concept and a modified wood post thrie beam guardrail. The results of the full-scale crash testing are presented and recommendations for future research are discussed.