Road Barrier Types | Safety Barriers for Road Construction

Barrier Types for Road Construction: How to Protect Workers and the Public

Road barrier types may come in many different forms, shapes, colours and sizes, and are most often observed in our towns, cities and national roads. Whether they appear on quiet, suburban side streets, busy intersections, crowded city streets or the open roads, they all share one thing in common; to protect road users and other members of the public from potential safety hazards. They’re also a vital means to protect workers, law enforcement, emergency services and other personnel from potential injury caused by errant drivers or unobservant road users.

They appear in the form of transportable barriers filled with sand or water, delineators guiding drivers or the public out of harm’s way or as the humble traffic cone and speed ramps configuration. Road barrier types assist construction companies and contractors in warning road users to reduce speed, follow road sign instructions and be guided by their representatives through an array of obstructions or detours until they have safely passed the roadworks in progress.

At Armco Superlite, we are globally recognised for manufacturing and supplying superior road barrier safety equipment. In this article, we will discuss five road barrier types that we have on offer:

5 Road Barrier Types on Offer through Armco Superlite

Although road barrier safety systems vary in shape and size, they all form a fundamental part of the process of keeping members of the public and workers safely separated. One of the most successful pairings in this process, specifically when traffic has to be slowed to a crawl, is the road cone and speed ramps configuration. Traffic cones are used in varied road safety scenarios. However, when accompanied by speed ramps, they act as a channelling barrier. They guide traffic into a particular lane or zone while the speed ramps serve to ensure that there is no speeding through the obstruction.
Delineators offer direction to safe passage through a detour, or closed lanes or to advise road users of where it is safe to travel and where the location of the workers are. Our standard delineators come in three sizes. They are road safety regulation-compliant and are accompanied by a sturdy stand and rigid enough to withstand heavy-duty traffic but pliable enough to limit damage in the event of contact. We also offer the Dura-Post delineator, which is most effective on roads with higher speed limits.
Preparing the roadway before, during and after with appropriate safety delineation and slowing traffic to a crawl, is often necessary to ensure the safety of workers and road users. However, when the road surface is a hazard to both parties, a more robust division is necessary. We offer sturdy, strong sand or water-filled separation barriers for these purposes. Whilst not a vehicle impact protection unit, these safety barriers offer a solid structure to keep all concerned safely separated.
For high-speed areas along straight sections of national roads, for example, we at Armco Superlite offer the EuroNEAT impact cartridge This unit attaches to the waterfilled barrier system to protect workers from errant drivers who may have neglected to adhere to prior warnings and delineation guidance.
Once the roadwork is complete and motorists and workers have survived without incident thanks to these temporary road safety barriers, we offer an after-construction safety solution. Our permanent W-Beam” guardrail safety system will prevent motorists from leaving the road or crossing over into oncoming traffic. Our W-Beam guardrail can be supplied standard or galvanised.

These are only five types of road barriers that we at Armco Supelite have on offer. We are proud to include Quadguard systems, wire rope safety systems, Trend CEN End Terminals, Monster Man safety barriers for the mining industry and more. If you are seeking world-class, top-quality road safety products and equipment, arm yourself with Armco. There is yet to be a construction project that we have not been able to assist with.