Crash Test Stone-Faced Concrete Bridge Rail

completed

Most park roads and parkways were not intended to carry high-speed and high-volume traffic. Traffic on park roads and parkways has increased considerably over the years. Though not by design, many parkways near major metropolitan areas have been transformed into main traffic arteries. This project represents part of a concerted effort by the National Park Service (NPS) and (FHWA) Federal Highway Administration to improve the safety performance of park roads and parkways without sacrificing their aesthetic effect. The objective of this task order is to crash test a stone-faced concrete bridge rail that can be used as a parapet or median barrier in multiple Parks throughout the country. This crash test should be in accordance with American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials MASH requirements. In addition, this task order will analyze and design a steel-backed timber rail transition to directly tie into the stone faced concrete bridge rail using Finite Element (FE) models and crash simulations.