21Proprietary barrier systems and end treatments#

21.1General#

Clause 21 describes the work to be carried out where a proprietary road safety barrier system and/or end treatment is required to be installed under the Contract. Proprietary road safety barrier systems and/or end treatments accepted for use on state-controlled roads in Queensland are identified via Clause 18 of this Technical Specification.

21.2Manufacture#

Proprietary road safety barrier systems and/or end treatments shall be manufactured, fabricated and assembled in accordance with the design and specifications provided by the system and/or device designer for the purpose of getting the system and/or device tested and approved for use. This includes the quality and properties of materials.

The registered supplier of proprietary road safety barrier systems and/or end treatments must keep a signed certificate(s), from the manufacturer, stating that the manufactured / supplied system, device and/or components of a system or device comply with all aspects of the design of the system and/or device. The registered supplier must maintain separation between manufactured / supplied system, device and/or components, and any other materials and/or items to ensure there is no contamination of product. The manufacturer certificates and method of separation are subject to audit.

Once the barrier system and/or end treatment (device) are bundled / assembled for supply to a project, the registered supplier must label or tag the system and/or device with a unique identification number that will be used to link the supplied system and/or device with the required quality documentation.

The installer of proprietary road safety barrier systems and/or end treatments shall provide the following quality document(s) to the Administrator prior to commencement of installation of the system and/or device: Hold Point 11

  • a signed certificate (from the registered supplier) that the supplied system and/or device has been bundled / assembled correctly in accordance with the design and specifications provided by the system and/or device designer and that the bundling / assembly process only used components supplied from the system and/or device manufacturer. The certificate must state the unique identification number given to the system and/or device (as above).

21.2.1Precast concrete barriers#

Proprietary concrete barriers shall be manufactured accordance with the requirements of MRTS72 Manufacture of Precast Concrete Elements. If so requested, an installed concrete barrier shall be made available for inspection by the Administrator during the 28 day period described above.

21.2.2Plastic block outs#

Plastic block outs for use in lieu of public domain steel block outs are proprietary components. They may be used only if accepted for use in accordance with Clause 18.1 of this Technical Specification.

The department currently has no detailed Technical Specification for plastic block outs. The use of proprietary plastic block-outs in lieu of public domain steel block-outs will be assessed in accordance with the process described in the document Road Safety Barrier Systems and Devices as referenced in Clause 18 of this Technical Specification. Any submission for use of a proprietary plastic block-out for use in lieu of public domain steel block-out as part of a longitudinal steel rail barrier system would need to include, among other things, the following:

  • demonstration that the component meets the crash test requirements of Australian Standard AS/NZS 3845 Set
  • demonstration that the component can maintain mechanical and elongation properties for a minimum of 20 years
  • fabrication drawings which include description of the grade of materials and relevant standards with which the materials are required to comply.

21.3Design of Proprietary Barrier Systems#

Post spacings for proprietary road safety barrier systems and rope tensions (for wire rope barrier systems) are system dependent, details of which are to be determined by the system designer and included in the quality records. Details of the working width of the system (including expected deflection) shall be included in the quality records.

The maximum span between end anchors and between intermediate anchors is proprietary system dependent and design dependent and is to be determined by the system designer and included in the quality records. Wherever there is scope in the contract for the Contractor to select a product or device the Design Criteria / Performance Standards are specified in Clause 11 of Annexure MRTS14.1.

If a specific product is nominated in the design documentation with scope for the use of an alternative product, then the design rationale for selecting that specific product should be documented and made available to the Contractor. This should include among other things:

  1. a)selected containment capacity
  2. b)expected deflection and working-width (which should be maintained free from objects)
  3. c)post spacing
  4. d)expected maintenance and repair costs
  5. e)minimum / maximum system length
  6. f)terminal type and details of any transitions to other barriers, and
  7. g)failure (e.g. terminal anchor release) mechanism.

Where words such as 'or approved equal' or 'or equivalent' are used in the design documentation, the extent to which equivalence is to be demonstrated by the Contractor should be identified by the designer. Where a Contractor / installer has scope to install a system either as an alternative to a nominated variant or from a generic list, then the implications of any such decision need to be made clear to and accepted by the Principal / end user.

21.4Installation#

21.4.1General#

A proprietary road safety barrier system and/or end treatment shall be installed as shown in and required by the design documentation, and in accordance with the requirements of the installation manual. Where the design is provided by the Principal, any conflict between the design documentation and the supplier's requirements shall be referred to the Administrator for resolution prior to commencement of installation. Where the design is provided by the Contractor, a complete set of the proprietary product specific design, installation drawings and specifications, as well as evidence and conditions of acceptance for use on state-controlled roads in Queensland shall be provided to the Administrator prior to commencement of installation of the product. Hold Point 12. All such documentation shall be included in the quality documentation.

21.4.2Excavation#

Excavation shall be undertaken in accordance with the supplier's requirements, and in accordance with the requirements of MRTS04 General Earthworks. Subject to the requirements of supplier, holes for post footings shall be excavated to a minimum size as shown in the design documentation.

21.4.3Placed concrete#

Concrete work shall be in accordance with the requirements of MRTS70 Concrete. Steel reinforcing shall be in accordance with the requirements of MRTS71 Reinforcing Steel.

21.4.4Tensioned wire rope#

The posts supporting a tensioned wire rope barrier system shall be white. All ropes shall be tensioned appropriate to the ambient temperature in accordance with the supplier's instructions. Initial tensioning of each rope shall not proceed until at least seven days after pouring the last anchor block or post footing which will be affected by tension in the ropes. Not less than three months after the initial tensioning of the wire rope safety barrier, the contractor shall undertake verification testing by checking the tension in each rope for compliance with the specified requirements Witness Point 4. If necessary, the Contractor shall re-tension the ropes to comply with the supplier's specification. Upon completion of the verification of tension and any re-tensioning undertaken, the Contractor shall complete and submit to the Administrator for acceptance a Tension Report. Hold Point 13

21.4.5Delineation#

In terms of material and reflectivity, delineation on proprietary road safety barrier systems shall conform to the requirements of Clause 10.2.4 of this Technical Specification for delineation on road edge guide posts. Delineation on proprietary road safety barrier systems shall be mounted at the spacings prescribed in Part 2 of the MUTCD. The colour of delineators shall be in accordance with the requirements of the MUTCD. The reflective area of delineator units and the method of mounting of delineation on proprietary road safety barrier systems shall be as per the supplier's instructions. Exclusively for proprietary wire rope barrier systems, the reflective area of delineator units shall be as large as is practically possible in a single rectangular block.

Where the reflective area of delineator units is less than the minimum requirement prescribed in Clause 10.2.4 of this Technical Specification, then the spacing between adjacent delineators shall be decreased in order to provide not less than an equivalent aggregate reflective area of delineation per linear metre of barrier system.

21.4.6Measurement#

21.4.6.1Height#

The height of the system shall be measured in accordance with the supplier's instructions or otherwise measured and recorded vertically from the pavement surface level immediately below the traffic face of the system.

21.4.6.2Tolerances#

A proprietary barrier system or end treatment shall be constructed in accordance with the tolerances specified by the supplier. Where tolerances are not specified, the alignment on plan of the completed barrier shall not deviate from the design alignment by more than ± 20 mm at any point and the height shall not deviate from the design height by more than ± 10 mm at any point.

21.4.7Quality records#

The Quality Records for proprietary roadside safety barrier systems and/or end treatments shall include at least:

  1. i.Evidence and conditions of acceptance for use of the system or device on state-controlled roads in Queensland.
  2. ii.A copy of the supplier's instructions and any other procedures for the installation and ongoing maintenance and repair.
  3. iii.Details of the country of manufacture of all components.
  4. iv.Quality documentation including certification from an appropriately accredited laboratory showing that the supplied components are in accordance with the supplier's specification.
  5. v.A copy of the detailed design (where the design is not provided by the Principal), and

(For tensioned wire rope) a copy of the Calibration Certificate for the tensioning device. The certificate shall be dated no more than 12 months earlier than the date of installation of the last length of rope to be tensioned

Where installation spans more than 12 months, separate calibration certificates shall be provided.

Source: MRTS14 · pages 58–62 Open PDF at this page Search this document