Guardrail Repair and Maintenance

8/9/2019 Guardrail Repair and Maintenance

1/38

W-BEAM GUARDRAIL REPAIRANDMAINTENAIQCEA Gu ide for

St reet a nd H ighway Ma in ten an ce l?er son nel

U.S.Departmentof TransportationFederal MghwayAdministration

FHWA-RT-90-001


2/38

Prepared under t he Rura l Transpor t a tionAssistance Progam Projec t ?0 by theTechnolo~ Transfer center>Iowa Sta te Unive rsity,hes, Iowa 50011

Th i$ docu m en t is d i s s em i n a t e d underthe sponsorship oft he Depar tmen t ofTransportation in the interest ofinformationxchange. The un it edstates Government assumes noliability foritscontents or use thereof.The contents Ofthis report r eflect t h eviews ofthe authors, who areresponsible forthe factsand theaccuracy ofthe da ta presented he~ein.The contents do not necessarily reflec tthe o~fieia l polic y of the ~epa~tment of~ranspor~ation.

This report does not constitute amanua l, handboolt, s~andard ,sp ec i~~ea tion, or reg ula tion.

The united sta tes Government doesnot endorse p roduc ts or manufac -turers. Trademarks or mannfaeturerqsnames appear herein only becausekhey are considered essentia l ko theob jec t of this document.


3/38

TABLE OF CONTENTSpage

1. Guardra il Safety 1Why Guardra il Repa ir and Main tenance areNeeded,, .. 1

Some Tips b IncreaseSafety 111. Sit e Review 3Deciding What Needs b be Done 3Remova l of Damaged Ma ter ia ls a nd Clean up 8P la cin g Tempor ar y Wa rn in gs a nd Ma rke]r s 9

III. E st imat in g Pa r t s an d Ma t e r ia ls fo r Ra il onWood Pos t 10

IV. Est imat ing Par t s and Mater ia ls for Ra)il onSt eel P ost 12

V. Equipment and Tools 14Equ ipmen t a nd Fun ct ion 14.. Tools for U se in Repa ir 15

VI. Man powe r : Crew Size an d Tim e Need ed 2 0Est imat in g Time Requ ir ed for Repa ir 20E st im at in g Cr ew Size 21

VII. Repa ir Sequence Guidelines 22VIII. Tr affic Con tr ol 28

Typica l fia~c Cont rol for Lane Closu re 28Typica l Tra ffic Cont rol for Shou lder Closl~re 30

IX. Records of Repairs 32X. Maintenance Tips 33


4/38

1. GUARDRAIL SAFETYWh y Gu a rd ra il Repa ir a n d Ma in t e n an ce is Needed. Road wa s design ed a nd con st ru ct ed@ r equ ir e ~a rdr ail.

Th e lom tion of post s, br idge pier s, st eep t ilt ch slopes, or some ot herfea ture of the road crea tes a hazard b dr iver s who get off their lane.When we have a road sect ion Mat engineers have decided needs a@ardrail to make travel safe enough, it is im~rtant tha t wemaintain that ~ardrail. We must also repair that @ardra il so itcan pro~ct people who happen to run off the road. In most st at es wehave a duty, by law, to maint iin the road in a safe condit ion as theor igin al desi~ in ten ded.

. Maintenance workers a re closest b t ie problem.Main ten an ce wor ker s ar e t he fr ont -lin e t roops t o keep t he r oa d sa fejust as much as any sta te t rooper . They will likely he among thefirst per sons to see any damage who understand the importance of a~ardrail in keeping a road sale. Their act ions will be im~rtant inpr eser vin g r oa d sdet y.

q Good maintenance reduces lawsuit s aga in st h ighwayagencies.Keeping t rack of t he dama ge t o gu ar dr ails, makin g r epa ir s quickly,a nd r ecor din g t he r epair s m ade will h elp limit lawsu it s. The claimsm ade will m or e likely be fa ir if good m ain ten an ce is don e.

Som e Tip s t o In cr e a s e Sa fe t y*eq*e. 0*0

W-beam rail sect ions must not be badly bent out of shape.Bolts must be the r ight size and be t ight .Wooden post s m ust n ot be loose, br oken , or r ot ted.Steel posts must not be bent or pushed offline so badly tha t aveh icle h it t in g th e r ail will slide off t he r oad.Rail sect ion s m ust be blocked ou t away fr om t he post s.Road or shoulder surface under the rail n eeds to be free of holes ander oded r uts that a wheel can dr op into.General line of the guardrail should be a smooth pa th .Guardrail n eeds b be a t the corr ect height fr om tbe gr ound.


5/38

NOTES

2


6/38

11. SITE REVIEWDec id in g Wh at Need s t o be Don ee Defin e t he ext en t (or sever it y) of damage.

3

Gurdrail hm age is so badtht it no longer fum tions an dm ay itself be a hzard tomotorists.

1.

2.

3.

Th e rail beam is pulledcomplet ely apa r t .Three or more post s a rebroken off or are nolon ger a tt ich ed t o r ail.Ra il beam is bent orpushed more than 18in ch es ou t of lin e.

Guardrail is obuiouslyhm aged bu t m ay still work formost t raff ic cot ii tions .

1.

2.

3.

E ven t hou gh badly ben tor crushed, ra il beam isnot sep ar at ed a nywher e.Two or fewer post s a rebr ok en off or s epa r at edfr om t he r ail beam.Rail beam is bent orpu sh ed ou t of lin e lesst ha n 12 in ch es.

Guardrail hm age is m inor. Itw ill con tin ue to work .

1. Rail beam maybecr ush ed or fla tt en ed bu tis n ot cu t.

2. No posts are broken offor sepa ra ted fr om r ailbwam.

3. Rail beam is bent orpu sh ed ou t of lin e lesst ha n six in ch es.


7/38

o Some exmples and cements.Guardrail &m age is so bad th t it no longer functions

1

2,

3.

4

Sever al r ail sect ion s h avetor n out . Three post s havebeen br oken a nd sever alare pushed more than 1.5feet off lin e. A veh iclehit t ing th is spt now couldgo through the hole or bespeared on the end of ther emain in g r ail.

One ~st is broken off. Twoot her post s a re ba dlypu sh ed off line an d the ra ilbeam is torn loose. Asecond veh icle h it tin g t hismight be rolled over by thepost s and the mangled railor it might pass over therail and hit a morehazardous object .

Rail beam con nect ion h asbroken. The ra il beam issplit back t o t he n ear estpost an d the connect ion tothe end of the br idge isgon e. Th is t ype of dam agecan appear minor andunimpor tant , but it iss er iou s for t h e veh iclecr ash in g in to t he beam.Such damage needs to befixed soon.


8/38

Gm rdrail is obviously hm aged bu t m ay still work for m osttraf fic condit ions.

2.

3.

A crash int i a long run of~ardra il has pushed a few~sts offline, fla t tened therail in one spt , andloosen ed t he con nect ion t oonepst . The remainingrail length on each side ofth is damage ar ea willpr ovide pr ot ect ion bcr ash in g veh icles u nt il t hissWt can be scheduled to befixed.

~. crash in to th is ra il hascrushed the rail some andh as pu sh ed t he su pWr tin gbaseofone postout . Thispost n o longer pr ovidesmuch sup~r t , butdump ing some a g~ega tema ter ia l in to t he h ole leftby the crash and leveling itou t t o t he pr oper h eigh twill permit th is ra il towor k unt il permanen tr epair s ca n h e m ade.

Th is ~ardra il has taken asolid slidin g h it t ha t br oket wo wood post s a nd pu sh edoneother postoffline. Therail beam is bent an d pock-eted but is st ill in ta ct wit hno broken splices. Aveh icle cr ash in g in to it willhave a more severe cr ashthan the on e which &ausedthis damage, but thegu ar dr ail will st ill keepveh icles a way fr om mor esever e h aza rds u nt il it canhe fu lly r epair ed .

5


9/38

Gwrd,a il &mage is minor . It will con t inue to wOrk1. The guardra il beam hasbeen crushed down in thet op by a large far m machineor ap iece of cOns t ruct iOnequ ipm en t a nd is ba dlycor r od ed. Even t hOugh it i$r ust Y a nd looks t er rible, t hebeam will st ill work to h olda vehicle away from theh aza rd beh in d it .

2. The Wardrail has beenden ied fr om a m in orcollision. A~ardra il mayhave these ty~s of dings allalong its length a nd st ill bevery sa fea nd u sefu l. It mayn ot look pr et ty, bu t it st illworks.

3. Th egu ar dr ail ba sm inOrcrush in the beam and hasbeen pu sh ed off lin e a lit tle.One or more of the Pst shave been pushed s ligh t lyoffline. Th e guar dr ail m aylook heat up, bu t it will Sti l lkeep a vehicle on t be r oa d inmOSLcr a sh es if it is st illcon nected an d if t he top Oft he ra il is a t lea st 24 in ch esa bove t h e gr ound.

6_..__ .._,,...._ -...- ..


10/38

e Deciding what b do about the damage,When th e guardrail hm age is so bad t~t it no longer functiom andm ay itself be a h zard to m otorists,

1. Clear an y debr is fr om t be t raffic lan es an d sh oulder ;2. Put out temporary warning devices such as ver t ical panels

or sm all bar ricades to wa rn tr affic awa y if it can not be fixedimmediately;3. Figure out what mater ia ls and equipment a re needed to fix

it , an d get t he r epair job st ar ted as soon a s ~ssible.When th e guardrail is obuiously &m aged but m ay still work for m osttraffic conditions,

1. Make a good inspect ion of the damage to be cer ta in it will beaccep tab le for awhile;

2. Make a damage inspect ion repor t and repair request forpa rt s a nd equ ipmen t;

3. Schedule the r epa ir a long with other sch eduled work;4. Check the damage site frequently to see if it has been hit

aga in or damaged worse than fir st thought . Such damagemay make it imWrtant to repair the damage more quickly.

When the guardrail &m age is m inor and Lhebarrier will continue towork,

1. Decide if the damage is bad enougk to be worth fixing at all;2. Decide how much is to be repa ired if any repair is to be made

t o t he m in or dama ge;3. Repor t what is to be done for any repa ir thought to be

n eeded, an d sch edu le th e r epair wh en convenient to t hework schedule.

7


11/38

Rem ova l o f Dam aged Ma t er ia ls an d Cle a n up. Cle a n d ebr is from t ra ve led la n es an d sh ou ld er s .

Remove a ll br ok en ~a rdr ailand other loose par t s tha t a re onthe lanes or shoulders where apr sOn might dr ive in tO them.Th is in clu des a ll veh icle debr isleft fr om t be collision . I ft bisma ter ia l ca nn ot be h au led away,th en place it a t least 5 feetbeh in d t he r emain in g @a rd ra ilfor collect ion lat er . Get t his de-br is off the r oadway. Leaving iton t he r oa d is da nger ou s.

. Remove guardra il par t s tha t are st ill in place but a rehaza rdous t o t r a ffic.After a vehicle bit s the~ar dr ail, a sect ion of W-beamrail may st ill be a t tached topost s bu t t wist ed so it st icks ou t.It may snag or spear any vehicletha t h it s it . Any damaged railsect ion Ma t m ay spea r a veh iclesh ou ld be cu t ou t. St eel post smay be st ill standing after a hitbu t t he r ail sect ion is st rippedoff. These post stubs can be ah azar d. If your equipment isable, pull such ~st s imme-diately or pu sh them over farenough for a small ca r to r ideover t he post .

e Smooth out deep gouges in shoulder .

8


12/38

Pla c in g Tem por a ry Warn in gs an d Mark e r s

o IS the guardrail st ill funct ional? Is the dmage minor orwill the ~ar dr ail st ill work for most t ra fic condit ion s?Yes Then temporary warning devices shou ld not be needed.No When the guardra il can no longerfunctionandmayitselfbea hazardtomotorists,thenplacetemprar y warningsandmarkersuntilrepairsaremade.

Fu rth er ch eck s w hen placin g tem porary warn in gs an d mark ers:

a Is the shoulder nar row or the guardra il with in 6 feet ofthe outside edge of t ie t r aveled lane?Yes Then ver t ica l panels or some other small delinea t ion device

is suggested if there is room for t ra fic to pass by. Space maybe so limited tha t athching reflector s to the ra il maybe alltha t can be done to mark the area.

No Th en sa fet y ba rr els, Type II ba rr ica des, or ver tical pan elsmay be used to mark the danger and warn dr ivers awayfr om it .

o Will t ra fic be exposed@ the damage area over n ight ordu rin g h ou rs of da rkn ess?Yes Then consider using flashers on the warning devices and

markers .No Then flasher s a re n ot n eeded on the warning devices an d

markers .

9


13/38

111. ESTIMATING PARTS ANDMATERIALS FOR RAIL ON WOOD POST

Typica l St anda rd Guardr ailW-Ber n on Blocked-ou t Wood Post s.

,: .,, ,,/,; .:, !1,,,,. !l, ,. l..

// /5 -J;-A 1.Y8boltsreq. ired 1bolt fa$tens railat each splice to off-set blockand post

Typica l elemen ts of t he W-beam guardr ail on block ed-ou twood posts.***

***

12-6 ga lvanized s teel W-beam ra il s ect ion s.E igh t ea ch 5/8 X 1-1/4 ga lva nized bu tt on h ea d (ca rr ia ge) bolt s wit hr ecess n ut s for ea ch splice in th e r ail.On e ea ch 5/8 X 1W lon g ga lva nized bu tt on h ea d (ca rr ia ge) bolt wit hwa sh er a nd r ecess n ut for fasten in g r ail t o wooden post with offsetwooden block.On e wa ch 6X WX 1 -2 t rea ted wood offset block t o spa ce t he r ailaway from the ~st .6x 8x 6-0 t rea ted wood P st s.On e ea ch 10d galvan ized n ail to keep offset block lin ed u p to Wst.

10


14/38

W-Beam on Blocked-ou t Wood Post iCHECK LIST OF ~TEWLS FOR ~PMRItem compute Numberneeded

W-Beam ga lva nized st eel r ail sect ion Ta lly #of12,-& long punched @3,-1.& damaged

sections5/& X lW long bolt s with nuts for (# sect ions Xcon nect in g r ail t o Wst a nd block 2)+15/@ X 1.2W lon g bolt s wit h n ut s for (# sect ions Xra il splice connect ions 8)+8&X8X 6,-W wood t rea ted Wst (# sect ions X

2)+1&X&X 1-% wood spa cer block same as #

vrood Psts10d galvanized nails (one per spacer +~of spacerblock) blocksOTHER NONSTANDARD ITEMS NEEDEDNote: Guardrail designs change over the years. When sect ions of

older gu ar dr ail ar e r epa ir ed th ey slh ou ld be r eplaced in th esam e way t hey wer e bu ilt or iginally. Pa rt s a nd m at er ia lsm ay be differ en t fr om n ewer gu ar dr ail design s.

Item Compute Numberneeded


15/38

IV. ESTIMATING PARTS ANDMATERIALS FOR RAIL ON STEEL POST

Typica l St anda rd Guardr ailW-Besm on Blocked-ou t St eel Post s.

off-set block preventsvehicle wheel snagging on post \back-up plate providesdouble thickness, \7~~ ~,,~y.; ,,:8, :,!::: ;:~[.:/ :,>; ,,

/

-J ,, ,,,..,. .,one bolt 8 bolts requiredconnects for each splicerai I to off-setblockTypica l elements of the W-beam guardrail onblocked-out wood posts.******

,

12-6 s teel W-beam rail s ect ion s.E igh t ea ch 5/W X 1-1/4 bu tt on bea d (ca rr ia ge) bolt s wit h r ecess n ut sfor ea ch splice in t he r ail.On e ea ch 5/lW X 1-1/2 lon g galvanized h ex bolt a nd n ut forfa st en in g W-beam t o st eel pos t offset block .On e wa ch W X 9ga lva nized st eel post offset block for ea ch post .Two each 5/W X 1-1/2 galvan ized hex h ead bolt s an d n ut s forfa st en in g st eel offset block t o st eel post s.One each 1~ X 1 -1/4 ga lva nized W-beam ba ckup pla te a tin termediat e st eel post locat ion s for pla cin g beh in d r ail wher e n ora il splice occurs.W6 X 9.0 X 6-W steel post .


16/38

W-Rem on Blocked-ou t St iel PostsC=CK LIST OF UTEUI.S FOR MP~

..

Item Compute NumberneededW-Beam ga lva nized st eel r ail sect ion Ta lly #of12,-P long punched @3-l.& damaged

sectionsW-Beam ga lva nized st eel r ail sect ion same as #backu p plate for post between splices ,Dfsect ions5/9 X 1.2$ long bolt s with nu ts for (# sect ionsra il splice connect ions X8)+8W6 X 9.0 X 6-W Structura l shape (# sect ionsga lva nized st eel p os ts X2)+1W6 X 9.0 St ru ct ur al sh ape ga lva nized (# sect ionsis teel off-set b locks X2)+15/8 X 1.5 lon g bolt s wit h n ut s (# sect ions

X4)+25/16 X1.5 lon g bolt s wit h n ut s (# sect ionsX2)+1

OTHER NONSTANDARD ITEMS NEEDEDNote: Guardra ildesignschan geover the years. Whensectionsofolder guar dra ilar e repairedth eyshouldbe replacedin tbesamewaytheywerebuiltoriginally.Parts and ma ter ia ls

m ay be differ en t fr om n ewer gu ar dr ail design s.

Item

=

Compute Numberneeded

13


17/38

V. EQUIPMENT AND TOOLSEqu ipm en t an d Fu n ct ione Light t r uck (2 l/2-t in nomin al r at in g)

The t ru ck should have a yellowrotating s tr obe ligh t for wa rn in gt r filc to stay clea r of the workarea . Use the t ruck to haulrepair par t s to the site, to haultools, an d to haul damaged par t saway. A truck with a chain canoften be used to pull orst ra ighten steel posts. Use it toh au l t ra ffic con tr ol devices a ndmarkers .

@ Front -end loader

A fr on t-en d loa der ca n be u sefu lin r eshaping th e shu lder orfor eslope a rea if r ou gh spot sremain after the repa ir iscom plet ed. By u sin g a ch ainwit h t he bu cket , br oken post scan be pulled .

0 Power post driver

A power post dr iver can speed upt he r epa ir oper at ion if a lar genu rnh er of posts have to ber epla ced (five or m or e). Sa fet y t ot ra ffic an d safet y for wor ker s isim pr oved wh en t he r epa ir wor kis done qu ick ly.


18/38

Tools fo r Us e in Repa ire Suggested minimum tools to take to r epa ir site

Combin at ion box-end a nd open .end wrench in 5/W and 5/l W

Or ift p in sVise-gr ip p lier sSledge hammerAdju~stiable(crescent)wrench

Sho\ ,eIPos thole diggerS tr i]lg lineWood st akes or r eba rs6-3 mea su rin g st ick or foldin gwood ru ler

I Ieavy cha inCh isel a nd h a]nmerOxya cet ylen e t or ch(Ma ybe a pow[:r post dr iver ifalar ge nunlber of post s ar e to bedriven)

A1.L IERSONNEL SHOULD HAVE L.EATHER GLOVES,HARl) HATS, AND SAFETY VESTS.

15


19/38

. Complet i t iol list for a major repair job, t ith specia lt iol sets for ~dr t il r ept ir

H igh Use Item s:One 0.5-in ch elect ric impa ct wr en chOne 0.5-in ch dr ive 1.25-in ch deepimpact swketOne 0.5-in ch dr ive impa ct swivelOn e set of 0.5-in ch dr ive socket s in13/8-, 15/16-, 11/16-, a nd 7/8-in chsizes

On e 15/8-in ch en d wr en chOn e 1 l/4-inch en d wr en chOne 12-in ch adju st a ble (Cres en t )wrench

One 0.5-in ch dr ive r ach etOn e 0.5-in ch X 3-in ch dr ive ext en sion

Two r olling h ead ba rsTh ree pu nch es of va riou s sizesOn e bla cksm it h h ammerOn e ball peen h ammer (2402.)

Onepair sna p-onpliers (vise~ips)One pair channel-lock p lier sTwo 12-inch C-clamps

One 12-fOOt steel t ipeOne 50-fmt steel bpeOn e 6-foot st ick r ule gr adu at ed inin ch es a nd 0.01 in ch

One 100-fOOt s tr ing lin e

One claw hammer (16-0..)

on e 4-foot ca rpen ter s level

Usefu l in rem ovin g bolts inrail splices in ord er toremove ~~ged railsectiom . Usefu l intigh ten in g h its to p ropersnug fitn~rt replm e -ment.

Useful in makin g m im rshpe or fit adjwtm en ts inrail sectiom to align sp licesor bolt h oles for fit.

Usefu l in h old in g railsectiom an d oth er m etalprts while bolting orjoin in g th em .For relocatin g posts adch eck in g th e lin e an dh eigh t of th e rail.

For d riu in g and pu llin gt oem i ls in woodenpostblackoutsForplumbingposts

16


20/38

High Use I tems (con tinual):One 3/4-in ch elect ric dr illOn e set dr ill bit s in clu din g 9/16, 5/8,3/4, a nd 1 in ch

On e l/2-in ch elect ric h ammer dr ill.,. . On e 3/4-in ch wood bit

Two 3/8-in ch wood bit sOne 110-vOlt ga solin e gener a tirOne 50-foot ext en sion cor dOne 25-foot ext en sion cor dTwo mebl files (mill basta rd, 12inches)

On e reamer t iper ed O to 1.5 inchesOn e sa nd sh ovelOne t amperOne pos thole d iggerThree augers in sizes 12 inches, 18in ch es, a nd 24 in ch es

One bolt pu ller

On e gasolin e power ed ch ain sawOn e kn uckle boom

F ive ch ain s of va riou s len gt hsOn e 8-pou nd sledge h ammerTh r ee 5/1 6-in ch by 6-foot st eel ca bles

Occasioml Use ItewLs:rwo dtamond cor e dr ills 1 inch X 16inchesTwo 9-in ch cor e dr ill ext en sion sOn e elect ric cu toff sawOne 3/4-in ch con cr et e bitOn e 1-in ch con cr et e bit

For drilling hles in rail orposts as n eed ed to fit railat i posts togeth er an d tonaake rail splices.

To prov ide elect ri c powerFor dri ll s and other el ect ri ctools.For smoot t~ ing cu t edgesa!nd dr il led holes .

(J s efu l in reset ting post scln d resh pin g or d iggin gholes for pos ts .

For remou ing stu ck bolts.

l~or cu tt ing wooden post sl~or power a ssist in movin gheauy i tems .l~or pullin g posts and oth erparts w ith tru cks an d h eau yequ ipm en t. For h eau ystraightening.

I ?or d rilling holes andattach in g th e rail beam toconcrete bi,idge abutmentsor br idge rail ing.

17


21/38

Occasiow l Use Item s (continued):One l/2-in ch dr ill pr ess a da pted toboom

One set of~st -lift ing t ongs

On e set of en d wr ench es, st ies 1/4 incht hr ou gh 1 1/4 in ch es

On e set of dr ill bit s, sizes 1/16 in cht hr ou gh 1/2 in ch

On e set of l/2-in ch dr ive socket s, sizes7/1 6 in ch th rou gh 1 1/4 in ch

One 1.5-ton come-a-long

Two 3-ga llon ga solin e ca ns

One pick

On e 100-foot t ape gr adu at ed in 0.01foot

F ou r ch ain bin der s of va riou s sizes

On e 14-in ch pipe wr en chOn e 16-in ch pipe wr en ch

On e 3/4-in ch dr ive by 16-in ch br ea kerba r

18

For field d rd lin g ofpreci sely pos it ioned holes .

A tta ch ing posts t o liftin gdeuices.

For doing sm aller task s inma kin g splices an da tta chmen ts or in fieldre~irs to equipmentsystem.

Hau lin g long ra il section s.

Fu el for gen erator an dchin saw.

For d iggin g ou t brok enwooden posts .For easier longm easu rem ents in hyin g ou tguardrail replacement .

Useful in attach ing ckin toobjects.For heavy -du ty odd -s iz ew ork for which u isegrips ora 12-inch ad ju stablewrewh is ~t large enough.

S epara tin g st uck part s


22/38

Conven ience Use I tems :

. ..One power t amper

One pneumatic hammer dr ill .A ssist in o!rilling holes in,:oncrete cidver t or bridgew in gwatls an d oth er rail,zncho rages..A ssist in settin g post s a ndrestmping eart h a roundra il lin e on large repirjobs.

B oth of th ese item s are tim e savers for big repair jobs

19


23/38

VI. MANPOWER: CREW SIZE AND TIMENEEDEDEs t im a t in g Tim e Requ ir ed for Repa ir

e Gen er al Widelin es1.

2.

3.

4.

Include travel t ime to and from the repair sit e if th is is amain ten an ce a ct ivit y sch edu led fr om a cen tr al ga ra ge.Plan on it taking about 30 to 45 minutes to place the t r t ilccont rol devices. It will take shout the same t ime h gather thecon tr ol devices u p t it er t he r epa ir wor k is complet ed.Allow 30 m in ut es for fin al in spect ion of t he gu ar dr ail a ft erfinishing t he r epa ir a nd for r ecor din g t he r epa ir job.The actua l t ime needed to make ANY repair depends on theexper ience and skill of the crew. The number of workers for thejob a nd t he amou nt ofpower -a ssist ed t ools a va ila ble will a ffect

@t he t im e r equ ir ed a lso.

Repa ir ing cosmet ic damage t o gua rdr a il in st a lla t ion sIf your agency wants you to repair the very minor type of damagem en tion ed ea rlier in th is h andbook, t he a ctu al r epa ir (wh ich m ayonly he pa in tin g or m inor st r aightening of a den ted r ail) sh ould n otrequire more tha n 30 m inutes to one hour of t ime.Repair ing damage tha t st ill pemit s the guardra il tofunctionWh en t he in spect ion of th e dama ge a t th e sit e in dica tes

* only a couple of Wst s a re broken* only a couple of post s a re pu sh ed ba dly off line* a ra il is ben t ou tofline less than 18 inches* on ly on e r ail splice is br oken* only one ra il sect ion is torn out

or oth er con dit ions exist t ha t permit r ou tine sch eduling of th e r epa ir(r at her t ha n emer gen cy r epa ir ), t he followin g t im e est im at eguideline is suggested. Plan for one to two hours of repair t ime plust r a ffic con t rol, in spect ion , and recording.

e Repair ing major damage that requires prompt a t tent ionWhen the guardra il damage is extensive, such a s five or m ore post sare knocked out or severa l ra il beam sect ions a re broken , plan on al/2-daY t im e r equ ir emen t in clu din g t he t ra ff]c con tr ol set up,in spect ion , and record ing.

fF YOUR MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTP;M GIVES AMORE I) ETAILED TIME BR&;AKDOWN, USE THA~ TOESTIMA~E TIME.

20


24/38

Es t im a t in g Crew Size@Traffic con t rol cr ew needs1. lf no person is to be assigned to flagging tr t ilc through the

repair work zone, then no addit iona l worker s ar e needed. Theper son s r epair in g t be r ail can pla ce a ndl gat her u p t he tr afficcon tr ol devices. Th er e ca n be sit ua tion s ca usin g sh or t-t ermencroachment on the road to move equipment or b make br iefr epa ir s. P rovide wa rn in g t o t ra ffic in st ~ch ca ses.

2. One worker is needed as a flagger when the t raffic cones ortem~rary barr icades around the repair site closes tbe road orstr eet down b alternat ing one-way t ra fic IF ONE FLAGGERCAN CLEARLY SEE TRAFFIC APPROACHING THEREPAIR SITE FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS AND THEFLAGGER SIGNAL CAN BE SEEN BY DRIVERS WELL INADVANCE OF THE REQUIRED STOP POINT.

3. Two workers need b be assigned as flaggers for any other workzon e con dit ion s wh er e t he t ra ffic con es or ba rr ica des cr ea tea lt er na tin g on e-wa y t ra ff]c flow a rou nd t he r epa ir .

o workers needed b repair dsmage tha t has permit ted the~ardra il b con t inue to funct ion while the repa ir wasscheduledTwo workers and a ~rson in charge should be enough to makethe repa ir s. This assumes only a few pst s or rail beam sect ionsare involved.

. Workers needed for major repa irWhenfour ,five,or morepostsare involvedor moreth an twora ilbeamsectionshaveto be replaced,a crewoffour is expectedtobe needed.If a wideran geofpowerassistedtoolsis availablehthe crew, then a crew of three sh ould be enough.

IF YOUR MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM GIVESMORE DETAILED CREW SIZE BY WORK TASK FORGUARDRAIL REPAIR, USE THAT CREW SIZE ESTIMA~E.


25/38

VII. REPAIR SEQUENCE GUIDELINES@ Setup t r affic con tr ol

ra ke enoughsigns andcones to th e sit e t o properlymark therepa ir zone. If an a r row board andor a shadow truck are usedby your or ga nka tion , be cer ta in t o obt ain en ough equ ipm entand personnel to handle these it ems. All wor kers should wearsa fet y vis ibilit y ves ts .

~ Disa ssemble t he damaged guar dr ail

Spr a y t be con nect in g bolt swit h pen etr at in g oil (su ch a sWI )-40) for ea sier r emova l.Un bolt t he dama ged r ail beamsections.

If t he ellipt ica l sh ou lder iswor n off t he bolt , hold t hesm oot h r ou nd h ea d wit h visegr ips to unscrew tbe nut . Use at or ch t o cu t st ubbor n bolt s.Avoid cu tt in g r ail sect ion s t ha tca n be st ra igh ten ed a nd r eu sedlater.

22


26/38

. Pu llout the daaged posts

St eel post s va n oft en be wor kedout by h and or with a crowbar .Wood posts may have to be dugOUtor pu lled wit h a ch ain a dhoist.

Sligh tly twist ed s teeI post $tha t a re st ill firmly in thegr ou nd can oft en best ra igh ten ed in pla ce byP ullin g wit h a ch ain a tt ich edt Oa t ru ck. If t he t rucksOP er at ion en cr oa ch es on t het r aveled r oadway, p rovid et r a ff]c con t rol warn ing.

Likewise, post s t ha t h ave on lybeen pu sh ed ba ck off-lin e ca be pulled back in to Iie with acrowbar.

. If necessary, reshape the shoulder area with a gradera nd r ecompa ct t he soil for post s.

23


27/38

@ Setup a st iingline b posit ion posts a t the properheight , a liwent , and spacing.

Mark the str ingline for thepr oper post heigh t a ndali~ment . Msrk the properWst spacing with a tape ormea su r ing s tick .

1,,PI.T In the middle of an exist ing runof gu ar dr ail, ch eck t he h eigh t27 oftherailyou are matching to1 be cer tsin it is with in 2 inchesof t he r ea uir ed st an da rdY:.P ,1 height . If it is not , repor t to a6- O ma in t enance supervisor .DJDr ill or dig h oles for t he post s if n ecessa ry.Set or dr ive post s to t he pr oper h eigh t.Backfill and tamp the soil a round the posts.Check post a lignment and heigh t. Corr ect any majordeviations.

24


28/38

. Make a loose assembly of ra il and blocks.

At ta ch n ew offset blocks t oposts.

St ar tin g down st ream a ndwor kin g ba ckwa rds, h an g n ewr ail sect ion s. Over la p t he r ailthe same as th e exist ing r ail.Where steel posts are used, aback-up pla te is needed at thein termedia te post s (t he post sbetween t he r ail splices).

Use a dr ift pin to lineup theholes for bolt ing.

eo

Make sure all 8 bolts a re in place in each spliceconnection.Lea ve a ll con nect ion s fin ger t igh t t o allow forlen gt hwise a dju stm en t a ft er a ll sect ion s a re in .

25


29/3826


30/38

* F in al a s s em b~ywh en a ll the ra il is hung, go back andt igh ten all the bolts snugly. There is no need toovertighten.

e Cleanupsmooth ou t the shoulder and slopeapproaching the guardra il so the next veh icle to runIn to the guardra il has a smooth path .Ch eck a ft er Repa ir is Complet ed

Have a ll the bolt s been checked to see that eachon e is t igh ten ed sn ug?Was a blockout used on each post?Was a nail dr iven in each wood blockout to toe-na il the block to the wood post?Does each steel post in between the splices have aback-u p plate behind the r ail beam?If h aza rd mar ker s or delin ea tor s or r eflect or swere insta lled, ar e th ey located proper ly on theguardrail?Was the guardra il height checked to make sure itdid not sh ift up or down out of toler ance dur in gthe fina l a ssembly?

Da t e r epair complet ed

Repa ir complet ion in spect ed by:

(signed)

27


31/38

VIII. TRAFFIC CONTROLTyp ic a l Tr a ffic Con t ro l Layou t fo r Lan e

Closure

NOTES:1. Oavtime ooe,ation adshotirepai rdrati o.2. Usethislayotwherepair work is. o,within 2 feet of thetravelled wav (trafficlane). 3. Flaggen should seSTOP/SLOW paddlesinstead of red flags,4. Bffer zone may bered


32/38

Equ ipm en t Ch e ck Lis&Lan e Closu r eWork Zon e Tr a ffic Con t ro l Devic e s

1. ConesTa per , see t able below for spa cin g of con es(m in imum of five)

Bu ffer zon e (m in im um of five spa ced a t 2 t im esspeed in MP II)

Work area (minimum of five spaced at 2 t imesspeed in MPH)

End sect ion 5

2.3.

STOPISLOW paddlesSiWs:ONELANEROAD AHEADFLAGGER AHEAD, wit h dist an ce plat e

Suggest ed Ta per Sp acin g

TOTAL2

NOTES:1.

2.

3.

22

You will need a t least 20con es. Depen din g onwhere the work is, the kindof r oa d, a nd ot hercond it ions more devicesmight be needed. When indoubt , u se mor e con es.YOUR SAFETY ISATSTAKE.Any of s ever a l d elin ea t iondevices m ay be u sed:cones, type 1 or type 2ba r rica des, d rums , t ubu la rmar ker s, or ver tica lpa nels. Ch eck wit h you rsupervis or for loca l policy.Maximum spa cin g betweendevices is approximatelyequa l in feet to the speedlimit in MP II,

29


33/38

Typ ic a l Tra ffic Con t ro l Layou t fo r Sh ou ld e rClosure

,See taper cone;y3~:g table on

30


34/38

Equ ipm en t Ch eck Lis&Sh ou lde r Closu reWork Zon e Tra ffic Con t ro l Devic e s

1. Cones:Ta per , see t able below for spa cin g of five con es 5Bu ffer zon e (m in im um of five spa ced a t 2 t im esspeed in MPFI)Work ar ea (minimum of five spa ced at 2 t imesspeed in MPH)

TOTAL2. Signs:ROADCONSTRUCrlONAI{EADSHOU1.0E3fCLOSED

NOTES:Spa cin g Gu idelin e forSuggest ed 5 -cone Shou lder

-e0 1535 2040 3045 45E1.

2.

3.

21

You will need al least 15con es. Depen din g onvihere tbe work is, the kindof r oa d, a nd ot hercond it ion s more devicesmigh t be needed. When indou bt , u se mor e con es.YOUR SAFRTYISATSTAKRAny of sever a l d elin ea t iondevices m ay be u sed:cones, type 1 or type 2ba r r icades , d r[lms, t u bu la rma rk er s, or ver tica lpa nels. Check with you rsupe rvisor for loca l policy.Maximum spa cin g betweendevices is approximate lyequal in feet to the speedlim it in MI>I i.

31


35/38

IX. RECORDS OF REPAIRSAll agencies should have work r ecor ds of themaintenance performed. If you r agency has an exist ingsystem for keeping t rack of maintenance work, then use itt i r ecor d the wor k you did in r epa ir ing the guar dr ail,

r ecording the par t s you used, when you did it , and tha t thework wa s checked for cor r ect ness.

If you r a gen cy does n ot h ave a complet e r ecor d syst em ,t he following suggest ion s a r e offer ed .

@ Use a copy of Ch eck after Repa ir is CompleteW as asimple record that the repa ir was inspected when it wasdone.

. Keep a copy of the Checklist of Mater ia ls for Repa irwor ksheet filled in with th e par t s you actua lly used.Sa lvaged or reused par ts can be wr it ten in by hand.Sign and da te the mater ia ls checklist when the repa ir isdone.

e If an instant camera is available, take one or twoPola roid pictures of the completed repair . Date thephotographs, and staple these items together to be filedin a completed Guardra il Repa ir file. Write on thesesheets the locat ion of the repa ir .

32


36/38

X. MAINTENANCE TIPS

e On a re~la r schedule, check the bolt s for t ightuess onthe splices, on the conn ect ion s to the posts, and at theanchors b any br idge. Once a year or once every twoyears would be a help. Recor d an y in spect ion by da teand person doing it . This will help if there is ever alawsu it fr om a cr ash .

* When a Wardra il is h it and a la rge par t of theguardra il a t tha t loca t ion is damaged, check with asuper visor if the gu ardr ail should be r eplaced orr epa ired. Somet imes a policy may exist tha t will a llowremoving the hazard from which the guardra il ispr otect in g veh icles instead of r epa ir ing it . It m ight a lsobean older desi~ which can be upgraded to a morecur ren t desi~ if enougk of the old design has beendamaged.

o Try to keep the weeds and grass away from a guardra il.It helps the dr iver see the line of the ra il to a im awayfrom the hazard. It makes it easier to inspect theWa rdr ail for n eeded r epa ir s. It h elps lim it u neven nessin the shoulder and approach to the Wardra il when aveh icle is about to run in to it .

@ Watch for buildup of mater ia l under a ra il or erosion ofmater ia l out from under a rail that changes the heightof the ra il. It does not take long for th is process in tu r for aggrega te shoulders to put a ra il a t the wrong heigh t .

33


37/38

NOTES

34


38/38

-.

Guardrail Repair and Maintenance

Documents

Transcript of Guardrail Repair and Maintenance