Highway Delineators: A Simple Solution for Improving Road Construction Safety

Every day, men and women are hard at work building and repairing our roads so that they are safer and provide people with more ways to get around. We owe it to those workers to make their work environment as safe as possible so they can do their job without worrying about their well-being.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has identified techniques and equipment that have been proven to increase safety on the road, not only for workers but also for the thousands of daily drivers. One such piece of equipment is a plastic barricade known as a delineator.

How Traffic Delineators Improve Road Safety

Delineators are guidance devices that improve driver safety, and thus the safety of road workers, by calling attention to temporary and permanent changes in road conditions such as:

• When a roadway narrows
• When lane reductions occur
• On curves and sharp turns

Delineators are also used during adverse weather and at night when visibility is reduced. They remain
visible even during snowfall and when roads are wet.
These retro-reflective devices are used in a series to indicate the alignment of the road, and there are different spacing requirements based on circumstances for which the delineators are being used.

Crashworthy Requirements of Delineators

Flexible delineators that are used on the road should be tested and certified to meet the crashworthy requirements of NCHRP-350 – the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. This certification is a requirement for all projects conducted on the National Highway System.

Retro-reflective Element Requirements

In addition to meeting crashworthy requirements, delineators also need to meet specific requirements in regards to their reflective features. The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has determined that:

• Delineator reflectors should reflect light from a distance of at least 1,000 feet when illuminated by high beam headlights.
• Delineator reflector dimensions should be at least 3 inches.

Types of Traffic Delineator Equipment

There are a variety of highway delineators on the market today in an array of shapes, sizes and colors. Some are very simply bright orange stands while others include additional features to enhance safety. Traffic delineators require a weighted rubber base to secure them in a standing position. The rubber base has a hole in its center, allowing it to be slid over the top and to the ground where it rests on the delineator flange in order to support it.

Looper-Tube Post Delineators

A looper-tube post delineator provides a number of functional and safety advantages. These delineators have a loop style handle at the top of the post, which can be used to thread caution tape or chain through to better section off an area. The loop also makes handling and situating the post easier.

T-Post Delineators

This type of delineator is identifiable by the t-shaped handle on top. The unique shape makes it easier to carry and these delineators usually have a hole in the t-top that can be used to thread caution tape or a chain through.

About the Author:
Pro Traffic Supply sells traffic safety devices, including all types of delineators, through their website, www.protrafficsupply.com. The products featured on their website are in stock, priced competitively, and all delineators meet the crashworthy requirements of NCHRP-350, acknowledged by WSDOT. Pro Traffic Supply delineators are available in heights of 28” and taller, and are proudly made in the USA with quality, care, and attention to detail.

Security Bollards Offer a Variety of Protection

Most people probably pay little attention to the various devices that help to keep us safe on the road each day. Although traffic lights, stop signs, and painted traffic lanes play a prominent, high-profile, and sometimes frustrating role in our daily lives, there are many other safety devices that are just as important to road safety, but are much less obvious to the casual observer. For instance, guard rails keep traffic moving in opposite directions separated, staving off head-on collisions; and channelizers and traffic drums let drivers know that there is construction, to slow down, and exercise extreme caution. Bollards, despite their bright colors, are another great example of these more subtle safety devices. Bollards come in permanent, removable, and surface mount varieties.

 

Permanent Embedded Bollards

While there is a considerable amount of effort made to prevent vehicle collisions and road construction tragedies, there is also great attention paid to reducing the likelihood of vehicles destroying static objects or hitting pedestrians. Traffic bollards, while often hidden in plain sight, play an important role in protecting equipment such as exposed AC units, ATMs, parking garage ticket dispensers, and pedestrian lanes. In many cases, bollards are permanently embedded into the ground 3-4 feet below the surface (much like the way a basketball hoop is cemented in place). Embedded bollards are used in areas where there is little to no chance they would ever need to be removed. However, in certain situations, there is a need for bollard security to be more adaptive.

 

Removable Embedded Bollards

Although bollards can serve as a first line of security for truck docking stations and loading garage openings when not in use, they do little good if the use of a docking station or loading garage is denied by a permanently installed bollard. This is where removable embedded bollards can come in handy. Removable bollards offer the same amount of security as their static, permanently fixed cousins, but are quickly and easily removed when necessary. As such, they make for a perfect security addition in areas such as docking stations, preventing determined thieves and other unauthorized vehicles from backing up to loading stations. Of course, removability is only a desirable quality if it’s exclusive to the person or persons responsible for managing a warehouse or business. As such, embedded removable bollards have a locking mechanism which allows them to be securely removed and replaced by simply turning a key and removing a padlock. When removed, the empty hole can be covered by a built-in cover and locked in place.

 

Surface Mount Bollards

Surface mount bollards, also known as surface plate bollards, are permanently fixed to the ground. While they are placed in permanent places like their embedded brothers, they are not embedded into the ground, but instead bolted to concrete surfaces. Surface plate bollards are preferred over permanently embedded bollards in areas like multi-level parking garages as they don’t compromise the structural integrity of the foundation as much as the deep holes used in permanent embedding. Surface mount bollards are also optimal for adding crash security to areas that may have been overlooked during initial construction, or to protect quickly developed pedestrian lanes on city streets, saving the extra time and money needed to otherwise dig holes for permanent installation.
While technology will always continue to change our means of transporting people and goods, safety and security will always be needed. So until cars can fly, bollards will always serve a purpose in the ongoing endeavor to keep us safe during travel and supporting the transportation of goods needed to drive the American economy. And who knows, by that point bollards may have evolved as well- giving rise to air bollards to protect those soaring cars!

About the Author:
Pro Traffic Supply sells traffic safety devices, including all types of bollards, through their website, www.protrafficsupply.com. Pro Traffic supply has products featured on their website in stock at low prices, and all bollards are proudly made in the USA with quality, care, and attention to detail.