Traffic Barrier
ELM-TRB-23 Traffic Barrier
Working assessment: this pattern’s status reflects a preliminary Commonway System judgment call, pending final review.
#Why this pattern exists
Certain roadside conditions (a steep slope, a fixed object, an opposing travel lane with no separation) pose a severe risk if an errant vehicle reaches them; a traffic barrier is deployed specifically to intercept and redirect the vehicle before it does, at the cost of introducing its own fixed-object risk if struck directly. This pattern exists to document when that tradeoff is justified.
#Key considerations
- Should only be installed where the hazard being shielded is more severe than the barrier itself, since the barrier becomes a fixed object a vehicle can strike
- End treatments matter significantly; an unshielded or improperly terminated barrier end can be more dangerous than no barrier at all
- Height and strength must be matched to the design vehicle and speed of the roadway it protects
#Related patterns
Crash Cushion/End Terminal (ELM-CCT-24) (the treatment addressing this pattern’s exposed ends); Bollard (ELM-BOL-25) (a related but functionally distinct barrier type)
Unsourced claim
Formal citations for this pattern have not yet been compiled from primary sources.