maintenance
The new concrete step barrier that is currently being installed on UK motorways and some trunk roads requires minimal maintenance and repair throughout its 50-year life.
Unlike a steel safety restraint system, concrete step barrier will not suffer any damage if it is struck by a vehicle. This means there is no need to report minor impacts or close off adjacent lanes to carry out repairs.
To put this into perspective, there are around 100 repairs carried out to steel barrier on the M25 alone every month.
As minimal maintenance is necessary, this will have an extremely positive effect on the free flow of traffic. There will be no lane closures, no delays, no tailbacks or traffic jams with all of the associated costs to British businesses, not to mention the stress and irritation this can cause to motorists.
In addition, while concrete step barrier is specifically designed to last for 50 years, steel restraint systems need to be replaced completely every 20 years. This is an enormous operation, which can create massive delays and traffic congestion for considerable periods of time.
What’s more, with almost no maintenance required, no lane closures and no delays, concrete step barrier is bringing about greater journey reliability. This means that all road users will be able to plan ahead and predict journey times with more confidence and accuracy.
