This paper reports on the performance of a wire rope barrier on a narrow median installation on Centennial Highway, New Zealand. The median barrier was introduced in two stages and has been very successful in reducing road trauma. Prior to stage one the average annual social cost of crashes on Centennial Highway was NZ$5,796,889. This has since reduced to an average social cost of NZ$65,400 per year. Surveillance of the Centennial Highway median barrier show that vehicles generally sustained relatively little damage when they struck the barrier and were often observed to drive away after the impact. This paper presents a number of challenges that needed to be overcome to construct the narrow median wire rope barrier and evaluates the success of the barrier in reducing road trauma along this section of state highway. (Author/publisher)
Abstract