ARTBA Honors Efforts to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety
Winners were recognized in three categories including outreach campaigns, training programs and innovations in technology.
Mobile Barriers, LLC: “Mobile Barrier MBT-1”
Mobile Barriers has created a large steel barrier that provides a protected, self-contained work area for roadway construction crews. Known as the MBT-1, the enormous, mobile structure, which looks like a barge, can withstand the impact of a tractor trailer. Its extended five-foot wall reduces rubbernecking, and because it is easily maneuvered, the structure can allow for shorter and fewer lane closures, reducing disruption to passing traffic. Onboard generators and signage allow for fewer machines and trucks in the work zone and its 90 degree, overhead lighting improves visibility and lessens glare, reducing the probability of incidents in and around work zones.
Innovations in Technology/Products – Second Place
Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.: “RoadQuake 2: Temporary Portable Rumble Strips”
RoadQuake 2 Temporary Portable Rumble Strips, developed by Plastic Safety Systems, is a work zone safety countermeasure designed to make drivers aware of changes in traffic patterns and upcoming work zones, while ultimately protecting workers. Unlike traditional rumble strips, no nails or adhesives are needed. Installed perpendicular to traffic, across the travel lane, RoadQuake 2 temporary strips alert drivers to the changing road conditions with the same level of sound and vibration as permanent rumble installations and can withstand subfreezing temperatures.
Innovations in Technology/Methodology – First Place
The Lane Construction Corporation: “I-85 Widening - Temporary Median Access Bridge and Ramps”
The Lane Construction Corporation found an innovative way to protect workers and the traveling public while accelerating the construction schedule during the widening of eight miles of Interstate-85 in Cabarrus County, N.C. The majority of the new roadway width is being constructed within the existing 70-foot median, resulting in a very difficult access challenge and posing serious safety risk. Repurposing construction materials that Lane recovered from other projects, the company created a unique temporary bridge structure over the interstate with access ramps into the median work zone. This bridge connects the worksite on both sides of the highway with the median area, while separating construction vehicles from passenger cars and eliminating the need to haul 40,000 loads of material through heavy interstate traffic.
Innovations in Technology/Methodology – Second Place
Lindsay Transportation Solutions: “San Francisco Doyle Drive Bypass”
The Doyle Drive Demolition Project in San Francisco utilized over a mile of moveable median barriers produced by Lindsay Transportation Solutions during the reconstruction of a busy, five lane bypass between the Golden Gate Bridge and the downtown area. The barriers were shifted back and forth throughout the day in order to offer more lanes to the traveling public during peak traffic times. They provided positive barrier protection between opposing traffic lanes, eliminating the possibility of crossover head-on collisions, where before there were only plastic channelizers that provided little to no protection from oncoming traffic. Four days after the barriers were installed, an intoxicated driver struck the barriers at a significant speed and angle. Instead of crossing over and creating a head-on collision, the vehicle was redirected and no other cars were involved.
