Abstract
Culvert ends located within the highway clear zone of the right-of-way present potential hazards to errant drivers leaving the roadway. One of the less expensive solutions is installation of a safety grate over the culvert opening. A grate of welded steel reinforcing bars was developed by the New York State Department of Transportation's Region 9 (Binghamton), and has undergone six drive-over tests and two full-scale crash tests. These showed that the grate was strong enough to protect large and small sedans crossing exposed culvert ends, without damage to the grates or vehicles, with the terrain on which the grate is located having a greater effect on vehicle trajectory than the grate itself. (Author/publisher)