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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22717.
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2012 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE* OFFICERS Chair: Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson ViCe Chair: Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA exeCutiVe DireCtor: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board MEMBERS Victoria A. Arroyo, Executive Director, Georgetown Climate Center, and Visiting Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY William A.V. Clark, Professor of Geography and Professor of Statistics, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles Eugene A. Conti, Jr., Secretary of Transportation, North Carolina DOT, Raleigh James M. Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, TX Paula J. C. Hammond, Secretary, Washington State DOT, Olympia Michael W. Hancock, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort Chris T. Hendrickson, Duquesne Light Professor of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA Adib K. Kanafani, Professor of the Graduate School, University of California, Berkeley Gary P. LaGrange, President and CEO, Port of New Orleans, LA Michael P. Lewis, Director, Rhode Island DOT, Providence Susan Martinovich, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City Joan McDonald, Commissioner, New York State DOT, Albany Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington Tracy L. Rosser, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Mandeville, LA Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO Beverly A. Scott, General Manager and CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA David Seltzer, Principal, Mercator Advisors LLC, Philadelphia, PA Kumares C. Sinha, Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Thomas K. Sorel, Commissioner, Minnesota DOT, St. Paul Daniel Sperling, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy; Director, Institute of Transportation Studies; and Acting Director, Energy Efficiency Center, University of California, Davis Kirk T. Steudle, Director, Michigan DOT, Lansing Douglas W. Stotlar, President and CEO, Con-Way, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC John C. Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC Michael P. Huerta, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT David T. Matsuda, Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT Michael P. Melaniphy, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC Victor M. Mendez, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT Tara O’Toole, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC Robert J. Papp (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC Cynthia L. Quarterman, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S.DOT Peter M. Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT David L. Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.DOT Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.DOT Polly Trottenberg, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S.DOT Robert L. Van Antwerp (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC Barry R. Wallerstein, Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, CA Gregory D. Winfree, Acting Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT *Membership as of July 2012.

N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP REPORT 711 Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems Dhafer Marzougui Umashankar Mahadevaiah Fadi Tahan Cing Dao (Steve) Kan GeorGe WashinGton University Washington, D.C. Richard McGinnis BUcknell University Lewisburg, PA Richard Powers Herndon, VA Subscriber Categories Highways TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2012 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCHRP REPORT 711 Project 22-25 ISSN 0077-5614 ISBN 978-0-309-25842-5 Library of Congress Control Number 2012943210 © 2012 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The George Washington University project team wishes to acknowledge the NCHRP Project Panel and staff for their demonstrated confidence in the team’s capabilities and the regular feedback provided on the research materials. It also wishes to cite its gratitude for contributions to this effort of the sup- port consultants Mr. Richard Powers and the late Dr. Richard McGinnis. Their expertise and experience provide invaluable perspectives on cable barrier systems and their potential to enhance highway safety. It is also necessary to thank the various persons from state DOTs, industry, and academia who provided insights, information, and data that were used in this project. Special thanks also should be directed to Dr. Kenneth S. Opiela of the FHWA Office of Safety R&D for his support of research and testing to address cable barrier issues prior to the initiation of this project. Many of the novel approaches that evolved from collaborations with him provided the basis for research in this project. He served as a continuing source of advice and insights throughout this project. CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 711 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Mark S. Bush, Senior Program Officer Andrea Harrell, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Hilary Freer, Senior Editor NCHRP PROJECT 22-25 PANEL Field of Design—Area of Vehicle Barrier Systems Aurora Meza, Texas DOT, Austin, TX (Chair) Joseph G. Jones, Missouri DOT, Jefferson City, MO Mark Ayton, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, St. Catharines, ON Michael F. Balbierer, Delaware DOT, Dover, DE Ron Faulkenberry, Gibraltar, Burnet, TX H. Clay Gabler, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA Randy Hiatt, California DOT, Sacramento, CA Frank C. Julian, Jr., Federal Highway Administration, Atlanta, GA David P. McCormick, Washington State DOT, Shoreline, WA Leonard Meczkowski, South Lyon, MI David C. O’Hagan, Florida DOT, Tallahassee, FL Kenneth S. Opiela, FHWA Liaison Stephen F. Maher, TRB Liaison

This report provides guidance for the selection, use, and maintenance of cable barrier systems. While cable barrier systems have been in use for more than 70 years, their use has been on the rise and is expected to continue in the future. The increase in use of cable barrier systems has been attributed to the success rate in keeping vehicles from crossing the median, reducing roadway departures, and decreasing impact severity. Due to advancements in cable barrier system technology, installation and repair costs are lower and cable barrier use has increased in varying roadway environments. Safety studies, although limited, have shown that cable barriers help reduce those median cross-over collisions that lead to some of the most severe head-on type crashes. This document will be of particular interest to design, maintenance, traffic, and safety engineering professionals. Cable barriers installed in the United States prior to 2000 were primarily low-tension, non-proprietary systems. With the first new generation high-tension cable barrier system installed in 2000 on an experimental basis, the proprietary product performed well, which led DOTs and manufacturers to have an increased interest in high-tension cable barriers. Since 2000, the use of both low- and high-tension cable barriers has expanded. In recent years, the popularity and rate of deployment of cable barrier systems along roadsides and in medians of the nation’s roads and highways has significantly increased. As the use of these products has increased, so has knowledge about critical placement issues and the need for guidance relative to the design, selection, and maintenance to achieve the highest level of performance in various environments. Research, testing, and experience with these systems has revealed that the location and placement of the system has a significant influence on system performance. The available generic and proprietary systems have performance differences and com- monalities. Agencies have deployed the available generic and proprietary cable barrier sys- tems based on limited performance information available from crash tests. Although there is general agreement that cable barriers are highly effective in reducing median cross-over accidents, there have not been sufficient analyses to establish reliable crash reduction fac- tors. Cable barriers as a roadside device are most suited in locations with sufficient space to accommodate the lateral deflections that may occur during crashes, but lateral deflection information is not available for all barrier and roadside conditions. Cable barriers have been noted to function for a wide range of vehicle and limited truck types; however, vari- ous problems have also been reported. Further, design guidance currently available is dated and does not reflect the capabilities of the current generation of cable barrier systems. These issues prompted research to better understand cable-barrier effectiveness and the influ- ence of factors related to design, median configurations, roadway geometrics, and impact F O R E W O R D By Mark S. Bush Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

conditions. Given the results of previous research, the variety of cable barrier systems avail- able, and the inadequacy of past deployment practices for new systems, there was a need to establish better guidance for highway engineers. George Washington University completed this research under NCHRP Project 22-25. The research involved (1) efforts to determine agency experiences with cable barrier systems and their practices for design, selection, and maintenance and (2) the identification of cable barrier system features available. Research focused on issues related to lateral placement, system length, anchorage requirements, transitions, and cost and maintenance. Computer simulation was used extensively to investigate key factors on performance with varied design parameters, installation configurations, road median geometrics, and impact conditions to isolate the effects of these parameters on barrier response. The research results coupled with the findings of previous studies provided the basis for developing the recommended guidelines. This report consists of Chapters 1 through 7, a glossary, and Appendix E (which summarizes the guidance recommended in the report). The entire contractor’s report is available on the TRB website and includes several appendices to provide details relative to the cable barrier systems studied, the approaches employed, the detailed results, and related materials. The information included in this report will help highway agencies use better design and appropriate placement of cable barrier systems to reduce serious injuries and fatalities as well as operational costs.

1 Chapter 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Project Objectives and Scope 5 1.2 Report Organization 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review 6 2.1 History and Usage 7 2.2 Cable Barrier Designs 8 2.3 Performance of Cable Barriers 12 2.4 Placement of Barriers 14 2.5 Cable Heights 16 2.6 Deflection, Post Spacing, and Anchor Spacing 18 2.7 Horizontal Curves 18 2.8 Maintenance Issues 22 2.9 Review of Existing State DOT Guidelines 24 2.10 International Practices 28 2.11 Summary 30 Chapter 3 Cable Barrier Current Practices 30 3.1 Extent of Cable Barrier System Use 33 3.2 Median Conditions for Cable Barrier Installation 35 3.3 Factors Considered in Selecting Cable Barriers 37 3.4 Cable Barrier Impacts, Penetrations, and Crashes 39 3.5 Repair or Maintenance Concerns 41 3.6 Other Critical Issues 43 3.7 Summary 45 Chapter 4 Descriptions of Available Cable Barriers 45 4.1 Weak-Steel Post Cable (Three-Strand) Guardrail 46 4.2 Brifen Wire Rope Safety Fence 47 4.3 Gibraltar Cable Barrier System 48 4.4 Nucor Steel Marion Cable Barrier System 49 4.5 Safence Cable Barrier System 50 4.6 Trinity CASS Cable Barrier System 51 4.7 Other Designs 53 Chapter 5 Analyses and Results 54 5.1 Cable Barrier Lateral Placement 67 5.2 Cable Barrier Deflection 85 5.3 End-Anchoring and Post-Anchoring Systems 87 5.4 Interconnection with Other Systems 89 5.5 Horizontal Curvature 91 5.6 Installation Costs 98 5.7 Cable Barrier Maintenance: Tolerances, Repairs, and Systemwide Maintenance C O N T E N T S

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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 711: Guidance for the Selection, Use, and Maintenance of Cable Barrier Systems provides guidance to highway agencies on the selection, use, and maintenance of cable barrier systems to reduce serious injuries and fatalities as well as operational costs.

Appendixes A through D to NCHRP 711 are not included in the PDF or print version of the report. A link to appendixes A through D are below.

Appendix A: State DOT Survey Questionnaire

Appendix B: Available Cable Barrier Systems

Appendix C: Cable Barrier Lateral Placement Plots

Appendix D: Summary of Cable Barrier Full-Scale Crash Tests (FHWA Database)

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