Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide

Guardrail and End Treatments
Strong Post W-Beam Guardrail
Verify:
Height
▼ Roadside installations: 706 mm (27-28 in) to top of
w-beam rail.
▼ Median installations: 550 mm (22 in) to center of rail
with no rubrail, or 610 mm (24 in) to center of rail and
300 mm (12 in) to center of rubrail.
Blockout
▼ Wood blockouts with wood posts toenailed to prevent
rotation of blockout.
▼ Wood blockouts with steel posts routed and fit around
edge of steel post.
▼ Steel blockouts only if speeds are 72 km (45 mph)
or less.
▼ Recycled or composite blockouts connected in a
manner that prevents rotation.
Rail
▼ Splices lapped to prevent snagging for the direction of
traffic nearest the rail.
Location
▼ Slope in front of w-beam guardrail no steeper than
1:10.
▼ Preferred minimum offset from shoulder is 0.6 m (2 ft).
▼ No rigid objects within 0.9 m (3 ft) of the back of the
line of posts unless measures have been taken to further
stiffen the system.
Terminals
▼ Strut on ground or partially buried.
▼ Wood post holes near ground (see manufacturer’s
drawing for height and number of drilled posts as well
as need for soil tubes).
▼ Steel posts hinged for breakaway design.
▼ Slope approaching and around terminal no steeper than
1:10.
Appendix D: Inspections-in-Depth
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)
Concrete Barrier
Verify:
Height
▼ Basic: 810 mm (32 in) minimum to top of w-beam
barrier.
▼ Heavy truck traffic: 1070 mm (42 in) to top of barrier.
General
▼ Ensure that all concrete barriers are terminated in a
backslope with an approved crash cushion or with an
approved transition to guardrail design.
NOTE: Substantiate the above dimensions with the
approved plans and details or manufacturers
recommendations prior to the review. For further
information on these issues or other types of roadside
hardware, see the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide
(see Appendix E).
D–21