Transitions from Guardrail to Bridge Rail That Meet Safety Performance Requirements

Three guardrail-to-bridge rail transitions were developed and subjected to full-scale crash tests. The transitions were ( a) a nested W-beam with W-beam rub rail that transitioned from a W-beam guardrail to a vertical concrete parapet bridge rail, ( b) a nested thrie-beam that transitioned from a W-beam guardrail to a tubular steel bridge rail, and ( c) a tubular steel transition that transitioned from a weak-post box-beam guardrail to a tubular steel bridge rail. The nested W-beam and the tubular steel transitions were tested and met NCHRP Report 350 Test Level (TL)-3 requirements. The nested thrie-beam transition was tested and met TL-4 requirements.