Could Your Construction Business Benefit From Using Concrete Jersey Barriers?

The Jersey Barrier is used to divert traffic and protect pedestrians and workers during motorway works. It is named after the US state of New Jersey, which first used the barrier as a dividing lane on motorways in the 1950s. Originally used to separate several lanes, the stable concrete invention has been used in recent years to protect construction sites from the surrounding traffic.

Concrete barriers have developed over the last fifty years as a means of slowing down, diverting and preventing errant vehicles that cause serious damage to oncoming traffic and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. These temporary barriers can be used in conjunction with other barriers, and traffic lights.

These barriers have evolved and changed with the motorway system and there are different types and forms of concrete barriers. Several types of barriers and curbs are manufactured that can be used for a wide range of applications.

Some of the benefits they offer:

  • The concrete Jersey Barrier can stop cars and potential collisions before they hit the oncoming lane because a plastic barrier would break if hit by a car.
  • Concrete barriers can be used to block a certain area from other vehicles.
  • Certain concrete barriers can be attached to fences to ensure increased safety for buildings on site.
  • Portable Concrete Barriers (PCBs) consist of precast safety concrete elements that are joined to form a continuous longitudinal barrier.
  • Portable concrete barriers increase the safety of construction sites considerably. Although their primary purpose is to prevent errant vehicles from hitting construction workers, the dynamic lateral deflection of the barrier is kept to a minimum.
  • By using long barrier segments, barrier deflection is minimized by using as many precast safety concrete elements as possible.
  • Temporary precast concrete barriers offer the flexibility needed to move a project or event forward without unnecessary delays. The quality of the barrier ensures a controlled environment, which requires an impenetrable barrier that can be quickly erected and removed.
  • The provision of barriers in precast parts is of particular advantage, as they allow them to be manufactured in plants specially equipped for such purposes.

Constantly Evolving

Back in the 1970s, designs for a new concrete barrier shape that would perform the same function as the Jersey Barrier but with a lower frequency of vehicle rollovers began. After a series of tests, it was found that the F-shape barrier had the lowest probability of a rollover in the event of a small car impact, making it one of the approved types of safety barriers, and widely used today.

Plastic Jersey Barriers

Plastic Jersey Barriers offer an effective alternative, in some applications, to concrete barriers for road traffic control and motorway construction. It is also a common construction barrier that is used to define visibility on construction sites.

Depending on the situation, different price and size limits can take your application budget into account. Water-filled barriers are perfect because they are easy to transport and erect and work well in all weather conditions.

They are designed to minimize vehicle damage and at the same time prevent a frontal collision – either collisions caused by vehicle intersections or collisions with other vehicles.