MASH TL-3 Testing and Evaluation of a Steel Bridge Rail with Pickets (9-1002-12-2)

TxDOT has a need for a steel bridge rail that anchors to a concrete curb with an aesthetic appearance using steel pickets. Bridge railings that use pickets (concrete and steel) have exhibited undesirable safety performance characteristics. The purpose of this portion of the project was to design and evaluate a steel bridge rail with pickets that would meet the strength and safety performance criteria for Test Level 3 (TL-3) of MASH. The bridge rail tested for this project was similar to the Wyoming 2-tube bridge rail that was successfully crash tested under NCHRP Report 350 criteria (Texas Transportation Institute [TTI] Project No. 472610-4, dated May 1996). Details from the Wyoming 2-Tube design were incorporated and used in the design of the new TxDOT Picket Rail. The TxDOT Picket Rail evaluated and presented herein met all the safety performance criteria for MASH TL-3 and is suitable for implementation on new bridge construction.