Jersey Barriers are modular concrete barriers or plastic barriers that are used in separate lanes to minimise vehicle damage and at the same time prevent a possible frontal collision at vehicle junctions.
The Jersey Barrier is also used to divert traffic and protect pedestrians and workers during motorway works.
Interesting fact: It is named after the US state of New Jersey, which first began using modular partitions on separate lanes of its motorways in the 1950s.
The construction of the concrete barriers has been optimised over the decades to ensure optimum safety for the drivers.
What are Jersey Barriers used for?
The form of such barriers is intended to minimise the possibility of cars, trucks and other vehicles coming into contact by chance, which leads them to avoid head-on collisions.
Jersey Barriers are also now universally recognised as a tool of anti-terror and can be observed in high-security areas to prevent terrorist attacks on land.
Plastic Jersey Barriers
While Jersey concrete barriers are effective in preventing accidents and vehicle damage, the introduction of plastic barriers has brought added value in terms of cost-effectiveness and portability.
Jersey Barriers are used on roads, but they are also used as public safety tools and can be used in a variety of ways for public safety.
The plastic Jersey Barrier is installed in such a way that water-filled barricades can be moved when they are freed from ballast water and sand. This step and its temporary use have made their use as a barrier for pedestrians, cyclists and other pedestrians popular.
One of the advantages of plastic Jersey barriers over other concrete barriers is that they are modular and easy to move.
Further Development
The Jersey guardrail is designed to minimise the damage caused by an accident and to reduce the risk of cars hitting oncoming traffic in the other carriageway in the event of a collision. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) developed and tested a 1070 mm Jersey Barrier that can safely stop a tractor-trailer and steer it into an upright position after a crash.
Modern variants include the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s 1070 mm guardrail, as well as those from other states such as New York and California.
Cable Barriers
Once a cable barrier is in place, it stops every single vehicle that hits it, including cars, trucks, buses, bicycles and heavy vehicles. The Ontario Department of Transportation has replaced all its rope barriers at the Ontario Turnpike in Toronto, while the City of Toronto has done the same with its version of the barrier.
A cable barrier can absorb up to 80 per cent of a vehicle’s impact force, reducing the damage to vehicles that collide with it. This also reduces the number of collisions in which vehicles hit the guardrail.
Jersey Barriers have been responsible for preventing thousands of horrific deaths on highways and in other applications. There is no doubt that further development of such safety and security barriers will continue the important legacy of those first concrete Jersey Barriers
