Armco vs concrete barrier

[Ruperts Trooper]

My perception is that tensioned wire and single-beam Armco are relatively ineffective in HGV crossover accidents - is the concrete barrier significantly better, and can it easily be repaired after an accident?

[DB617]

I've seen an HGV bounce off concrete barrier. It neatly restricts a serious accident to one carriageway. Doesn't relieve delays much as the authorities will usually then close the other side for air ambulance, but certainly it is safer to have an out of control vehicle in its own direction than opposite.

The obscuration of oncoming lights is a godsend at night for the reason mentioned above. Four lanes of oncoming dense traffic makes it very difficult to see damn near anything in lane 4 on the other side.

[novaecosse]

A large-ish stretch of the M90 around Kelty has just had its tensioned wire replaced by shiny new Armco. Has tensioned wire been declared not up to the job? Looking at GSV, it does look pretty insubstantial.

The new barrier has the same N2 containment level and working width as the old Brifen Wire Rope it replaced.
The structure-mounted Open Box Beam barriers at the overbridges are now replaced with a high-containment H2 barrier.

Metal barriers, including Wire Rope, have a 20 year serviceable life.

[Mark Hewitt]

They are doing barrier replacement on the A1(M) North of J60. I had assumed that it would end up as concrete barrier considering that a lot of work had been done further North past Durham to install concrete. However it turns out they are replacing the wire barrier with Armco.

I can only assume it's for cost reasons, I don't imagine those concrete barriers come cheap.

[mbeatts]

They are doing barrier replacement on the A1(M) North of J60. I had assumed that it would end up as concrete barrier considering that a lot of work had been done further North past Durham to install concrete. However it turns out they are replacing the wire barrier with Armco.

I can only assume it's for cost reasons, I don't imagine those concrete barriers come cheap.

Also when the new concrete barrier was installed just south of this, they done full drainage etc at the same time. Not sure why just that stretch got it and this isn't.

[NICK 647063]

They are doing barrier replacement on the A1(M) North of J60. I had assumed that it would end up as concrete barrier considering that a lot of work had been done further North past Durham to install concrete. However it turns out they are replacing the wire barrier with Armco.

I can only assume it's for cost reasons, I don't imagine those concrete barriers come cheap.

Also when the new concrete barrier was installed just south of this, they done full drainage etc at the same time. Not sure why just that stretch got it and this isn't.

Doing some research it is stated that all crash barriers that reach end of life and need replacing must be replaced with concrete barriers on all motorways unless overriding circumstances exist, it can’t be down to just cost, must be some reason!

About 4 years ago the Armco was replaced on the A64 between Leeds and York, concrete was preferred but due to a number of utilities running down the central reservation Armco had to be installed as it would make repairs to these utilities almost impossible…… on the other hand the A64(M) in leeds that had no barrier 40 mph motorway, is currently having a concrete barrier installed as part of the flyover replacement works.

[Conekicker]

They are doing barrier replacement on the A1(M) North of J60. I had assumed that it would end up as concrete barrier considering that a lot of work had been done further North past Durham to install concrete. However it turns out they are replacing the wire barrier with Armco.

I can only assume it's for cost reasons, I don't imagine those concrete barriers come cheap.

Also when the new concrete barrier was installed just south of this, they done full drainage etc at the same time. Not sure why just that stretch got it and this isn't.

Doing some research it is stated that all crash barriers that reach end of life and need replacing must be replaced with concrete barriers on all motorways unless overriding circumstances exist, it can’t be down to just cost, must be some reason!

About 4 years ago the Armco was replaced on the A64 between Leeds and York, concrete was preferred but due to a number of utilities running down the central reservation Armco had to be installed as it would make repairs to these utilities almost impossible…… on the other hand the A64(M) in leeds that had no barrier 40 mph motorway, is currently having a concrete barrier installed as part of the flyover replacement works.

Area 14 are replacing a lot of old steel barrier on the A1(M) - with steel.

It used to be, as I vaguely recall, that traffic flow had to be at a certain level before concrete barrier was the go-to installation. The lifespan of steel barriers is something like 15 years, concrete is over 30(?), so it's more cost-effective than steel. Area 12 went through a phase a few years back of installing short lengths (500m or so) of concrete barrier as discrete schemes.

[Mark Hewitt]

Also when the new concrete barrier was installed just south of this, they done full drainage etc at the same time. Not sure why just that stretch got it and this isn't.

Doing some research it is stated that all crash barriers that reach end of life and need replacing must be replaced with concrete barriers on all motorways unless overriding circumstances exist, it can’t be down to just cost, must be some reason!

About 4 years ago the Armco was replaced on the A64 between Leeds and York, concrete was preferred but due to a number of utilities running down the central reservation Armco had to be installed as it would make repairs to these utilities almost impossible…… on the other hand the A64(M) in leeds that had no barrier 40 mph motorway, is currently having a concrete barrier installed as part of the flyover replacement works.

Area 14 are replacing a lot of old steel barrier on the A1(M) - with steel.

It used to be, as I vaguely recall, that traffic flow had to be at a certain level before concrete barrier was the go-to installation. The lifespan of steel barriers is something like 15 years, concrete is over 30(?), so it's more cost-effective than steel. Area 12 went through a phase a few years back of installing short lengths (500m or so) of concrete barrier as discrete schemes.

National Highways says this


We're replacing the existing wire rope barrier with a new concrete safety barrier between junction 60 (Bradbury) and junction 61 (Bowburn).

Now I can see with my own eyes that the new barrier isn't concrete. It's shiny new Armco.

So clearly there was at least the intention to go concrete here. Which would match up with work close by on this road.

[Bryn666]

Doing some research it is stated that all crash barriers that reach end of life and need replacing must be replaced with concrete barriers on all motorways unless overriding circumstances exist, it can’t be down to just cost, must be some reason!

About 4 years ago the Armco was replaced on the A64 between Leeds and York, concrete was preferred but due to a number of utilities running down the central reservation Armco had to be installed as it would make repairs to these utilities almost impossible…… on the other hand the A64(M) in leeds that had no barrier 40 mph motorway, is currently having a concrete barrier installed as part of the flyover replacement works.

Area 14 are replacing a lot of old steel barrier on the A1(M) - with steel.

It used to be, as I vaguely recall, that traffic flow had to be at a certain level before concrete barrier was the go-to installation. The lifespan of steel barriers is something like 15 years, concrete is over 30(?), so it's more cost-effective than steel. Area 12 went through a phase a few years back of installing short lengths (500m or so) of concrete barrier as discrete schemes.

National Highways says this


We're replacing the existing wire rope barrier with a new concrete safety barrier between junction 60 (Bradbury) and junction 61 (Bowburn).

Now I can see with my own eyes that the new barrier isn't concrete. It's shiny new Armco.

So clearly there was at least the intention to go concrete here. Which would match up with work close by on this road.

From bitter experience NH and its predecessors are proven liars where comms with the public are concerned.

[wrinkly]

I've just come across this press release from a couple of weeks ago, which says that steel central barriers are being replaced by concrete on certain sections of motorway. However one of them is said to be M62 J25-30 . It neglects to mention that 26-29 is already concrete.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/work ... -motorways

[solocle]

Just realised this photo I took of the A74(M) shows the cheesewire:

[Conekicker]

As good as they are, concrete barriers can still have interesting incidents occur. The PDF photo was one on the M180, near Scunthorpe several years ago. Goodness only knows how the driver managed to get the wagon into that position. Anyone travelling in the opposite direction when it happened must have been a little surprised no doubt.
The damage to the barrier after a fully loaded HGV had mounted it and slide along it for a distance - just a few scratches and scuff marks, impressive stuff.
Although another incident on the M1 just north of J34 a little later resulted in a 2m or so long chunk of the top of the barrier almost down to the step breaking off, even with the two reinforcing wires running through it.

ConcreteBarrier.pdf

(350.14 KiB) Downloaded 104 times

[the cheesecake man]

A1 Stamford - Peterborough and M66 Bury - M60 seem to be getting worn out Armco replaced with shiny new Armco barriers rather than concrete.
The former has a 40mph speed limit all the way from Stamford to Peterborough. This was painfully slow but did wonders for fuel economy with my electronic fuel gauge reaching 435 miles , 15 miles higher than it's ever got before.