Aesthetic bridge railings that are Test Level 3 (TL-3) crashworthy have great appeal. As part of the project described here, the author worked closely with other designers from the Texas Department of Transportation to design, develop, and crash test an aesthetic and crashworthy bridge rail that meets NCHRP Report 350 TL-3 requirements. The aesthetic features of this bridge rail are easy to construct and repair. The bridge rail elements are mechanically attached to the posts and are not welded, to make the railing easier to construct and repair. The posts are fabricated from steel plate and are attractive and easy to construct. The rail elements, fabricated from high-strength aluminum, are attached to the steel posts after those are installed. The rail elements can be adjusted once in place and are also standardized highway barrier hardware. As a result of some simple and cost-effective curb reinforcement details developed as part of this project, damage to the concrete curb and deck was minimal from the crash testing. In addition, from previous testing, a TL-3 crashworthy transition had already been tested and approved for this new aesthetic bridge rail design. This bridge rail design is currently being implemented on new construction in Texas. This paper presents an overall review of the design of the aesthetic bridge rail, details of the design, aspects of construction, and results from the crash testing of the T-1F bridge rail.


    Access

    Download

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    New Aesthetic Type T-1F Bridge Rail from the Texas Department of Transportation


    Subtitle :

    Design and Test Level 3 Crash Testing


    Additional title:

    Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2008-01-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    MASH TL-3 Evaluation of the Hawaii Department of Transportation 34 in. Tall Aesthetic Bridge Rail with Pedestrian Rail and Sidewalk Options

    Stolle, Cody / Bielenberg, Robert W. / Faller, Ronald K. et al. | Transportation Research Record | 2024


    Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Transportation Institute Field Testing Program

    Godfrey, S. / McFalls, J. / International Erosion Control Association | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1992


    High-Performance Aesthetic Bridge Rail and Median Barrier

    Lechtenberg, Karla A. | Online Contents | 2009


    High-Performance Aesthetic Bridge Rail and Median Barrier

    Lechtenberg, Karla A. / Bielenberg, Robert W. / Rosenbaugh, Scott K. et al. | Transportation Research Record | 2009


    Aesthetically Pleasing Steel Pipe Bridge Rail-Texas Type T421

    T. J. Hirsch / C. E. Buth / W. Campise et al. | NTIS | 1990