Highway barriers are used to separate lanes and prevent vehicles from leaving the road. They can also enhance the landscape and reduce noise levels. Different types include metal, masonry, and dirt barriers, chosen by civil engineers based on factors such as terrain and traffic.
Highway barriers are barricades used on many highway systems to separate lanes or groups of lanes. A highway barrier is sometimes employed as a means of creating a barrier between a highway and ditches, gullies, or other road features that would be hazardous if a vehicle left the highway. In addition to use as a security measure, these types of barricades can also be used to enhance the local landscape and reduce the noise level around busy roads.
Several different types of road barriers are used along highways. Simple metal barriers have been in use for decades and are typically low metal sections that run the length of the road or highway. Because a metal barrier is relatively short, it does not tend to interfere with your view of the surrounding field. At the same time, the metal barrier is strong enough to prevent cars and smaller trucks from running off the road and possibly overturning down a ravine.
Along with metal barriers, the masonry highway barrier is often used along multi-lane highways. Barriers of this type can be used to divide lanes into two distinct sections, with traffic in one set flowing in one direction while traffic in the second section flows in the opposite direction. These barriers tend to be reinforced and somewhat taller than the metal types, making it difficult for vehicles to cross in the lanes and directly into the path of oncoming traffic.
A third type of road barrier is considered to be a friendlier approach to the environment, as well as one that is more aesthetically pleasing. A dirt barrier builds up the area between lanes or on the sides of highways and serves as an effective means of keeping vehicles on the road and away from potential hazards encountered off-road. Road barricades of this type can be landscaped to match the surrounding countryside, making their presence appear almost natural.
All forms of road barrier are more than just a safety measure. In many cases, they are used to help muffle sounds originating from busy roads. As the noise level can become quite high during periods of heavy traffic, the presence of the barriers is essential to prevent noise from disturbing people living near the roads, as well as to minimize the impact on wildlife found in wooded areas near roads.
The selection of the type of highway barrier to be used along a given stretch of highway is typically determined by civil engineers who are part of a local, state, or national highway department. Factors such as the number of lanes, the surrounding terrain, the average human population in the area, and the amount of traffic on the road all play a role in determining what type of barrier would be most effective.
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