Crash Testing and Evaluation of the Modified T77 Bridge Rail

Under a previous study, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and TxDOT worked cooperatively to conceptualize and develop two aesthetically pleasing and crashworthy rail designs. The rails were designated the T77 and the F411. Researchers performed and evaluated full-scale crash tests on the new rails in accordance with National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 test 3-11. TheTxDOT F411 bridge rail performed acceptably according to the evaluation criteria of NCHRP Report 350. However, the T77 design failed to perform acceptably with the pickup truck. The objective of this project was to modify the TxDOT T77 bridge rail to perform as an aesthetically pleasing and crashworthy bridge rail. TTI and TxDOT worked cooperatively to modify the design to make the rail perform satisfactorily. Researchers performed full-scale crash tests in accordance with NCHRP Report 350. The T77 bridge rail was modified so it would perform in accordance with the evaluation criteria for NCHRP Repor t350 test 3-11.