Test Level 2 Guardrail-to-Bridge Rail Transition Compatible with 31-in. Guardrail

Many state departments of transportation are in the process of updating their guardrail standards to comply with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) and guidance issued by FHWA on guardrail height. A key feature of the new systems is an increase in rail mounting height from 27 in. to 31 in. A common application of guardrails is shielding motorists from hazards at bridge approaches, including the end of the bridge rail. When a flexible-approach guardrail is attached to a rigid bridge rail, a transition section is needed to transition the stiffness properly from one system to another. A nested thrie beam transition system has been successfully tested to MASH guidelines and is compatible with a 31-in.-approach guardrail. However, it is cost-prohibitive to use this high-speed, Test Level 3 transition on all roadways. A low-cost transition was successfully evaluated under NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 2 (TL-2) impact conditions for use on lower-speed roadways. However, this TL-2 W-beam transition is 27 in. tall and is not compatible with the new 31-in. guardrail systems. This paper describes a new low-cost guardrail-to-bridge rail transition that was successfully developed and tested under MASH TL-2 conditions. The transition is compatible with new 31-in. guardrails and can connect to rigid concrete bridge rails. The transition is considered suitable for implementation on roadways that have traffic conditions appropriate for the use of TL-2 safety hardware. Use of this system would provide significant savings in both material and installation costs compared with high-speed transition systems.