Road Safety: Enhancing Protection with Innovative Road Barriers in South Africa
Hazards like sinkholes, highway construction sites, and other unpredictable conditions pose significant risks to motorists and infrastructure on South African roads. This has necessitated using various safety measures and innovations in road barriers that play an important role in warning road users, offering enhanced protection and minimising potential accidents.
In this article, the leading suppliers of road barriers and other road-safety equipment at Armco Superlite will explore various ways of mitigating these risks and introduce a few well-known and new, innovative solutions that may prevent accidental damage to property and save lives.
Addressing Sinkholes with Innovative Road Barriers
Sinkholes typically form as a result of poor stormwater management or the large-scale abstraction of earth or groundwater. They can also be a natural phenomenon caused by excessive erosion through underground fluvial flooding, and in some areas of southern Africa like in the goldfields of Gauteng, for example, are fast becoming more frequent.
They are particularly prevalent in regions where underlying dolomitic rock occurs. They can measure anywhere from small indentations that may damage your car’s tyres, undercarriage, or suspension to huge craters that might swallow whole houses, and frequently offer few warning signs.
These sudden collapses can occur beneath roads, posing grave dangers to drivers. Traditional road barriers may not provide adequate protection when these events occur, and contractors may have to rely on more innovative solutions to protect road users from these life-threatening obstacles.
Modern solutions like our EuroNEAT system are designed to withstand impacts of up to 80km/h and effectively redirect vehicles away from hazardous sinkhole areas when errant drivers do not obey pre-positioned warning signs. These barriers are lightweight and meet the EN 1317-3 criteria. Their compact construction allows for easy installation, and they are engineered with the durability of aluminium and strength of steel to ensure optimal safety for all road users.
Ensuring Road Safety at Freeway Construction Sites
Highway construction sites are another danger for motorists and are frequently locations of road accidents. The presence of heavy machinery, workers, construction materials, and altered traffic patterns increases the likelihood of collisions.
Contractors might use sand- or water-filled barriers as a proactive way to separate drivers from the work area or delineate construction zones, protecting employees, equipment, and motorists. While our water-filled barriers are not designed for vehicular impacts, they are renowned for providing a visible, consistent boundary that enhances safety.
When empty, they are lightweight, and some models are stackable and easily transported from one position to another as work progresses. Additionally, they interlock and form a formidable boundary chain to guide motorists through dangerous construction environments.
That said, our new-generation designs further improve upon our traditional sand- or water-filled barriers. They offer increased stability and a lighter weight (when empty), and are non-interlocking, allowing for easier installation around tight corners and ensuring minimal disruption to traffic flow during construction phases.
Barriers for Various Road Hazards
Sinkholes, highway obstructions, and intricate road-construction sites aside, South Africa faces many other road-safety challenges, such as mountain passes, adverse weather conditions, potholes, flooded roads, wildlife crossings, and speed-restricted zones. Road barriers play an important role in managing these risks.
Finding the Right Road Safety Equipment Partner
When investigating road barriers, look for companies that provide a comprehensive range of road safety equipment, from the standard witch hats, or orange road cones, reboundable delineators, and wire rope safety lane dividers to technologically advanced barriers like the EuroNEAT or the Alpha 70K TMA mobile barrier system and the latest water-filled barrier models.
Moreover, you need a company that can provide you with natural or galvanised steel W-Beam guardrails, fully fitted with timber posts conforming to SANS 457. These innovations are engineered to meet stringent safety standards and adapt to the specific needs of South Africa’s road network.
For knowledgeable advice, informed opinions, and unsurpassed customer service for your road barriers, consider doing it right. Contact us at Armco Superlite for an obligation-free consultation.