See-Through Bridge Rails

Agenda:
1. Introduction
Bridge Barriers and Railings

2. Development of SeeThrough Rails

Applications

Desired Features

3. See -Through Alternatives 4. Cost Comparison 5. FAQs 6. Next Steps 7. Your Questions..
Shannon Post/ Greg Kaderabek Caltrans Division of Engineering Services August, 2011

Bridge Rails Classes of Railings

Railing Types
a.) Vehicular Barrier Railings b.) Combination Vehicular Barrier and Pedestrian Railings c.) Pedestrian Railings

Function
Retain and redirect errant vehicles Dual function of retaining both vehicles and pedestrians on the bridge. Consist of two parts: concrete parapet, generally with a sidewalk and a metal hand railing or fencetype railing Prevent pedestrians from accidentally falling from the structure Retain bicycles and riders on the structure. May be a combination type consisting of a vehicular railing surmounted by a fence or metal handrail

d.) Bicycle Railings

Bridge Rails Design and Crash Criteria

Criteria
Structural Design Crash Testing a.) Test Level 2 (TL-2) b.) Test Level 4 (TL-4)

Specification
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, 4th Edition with California Amendments NCHRP Report 350 (six test levels) NEW! AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH)
Local and collector roads with favorable site conditions Roadways with speeds up to 45 mph Crash test with a small car and pickup truck at 45 mph

High speed highways, freeways, expressways and Interstate Roadways with vehicle speeds greater than 45 mph Crash test with small car/pickup at 62 mph, medium size truck at 50 mph

Bridge Rails See-Through Alternatives

Applications:

California Coastal Commission/ Local Coastal Program

Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) Bridge or Roadside

Bridge Rails See-Through Alternatives

Desired Features:
Visibility: minimize impairment of views from the bridge; aesthetically pleasing view of the bridge from public areas Rail Height: consistent with minimum required height for anticipated users (vehicle, bicycle and/or pedestrians) Aesthetics: enhance visual appeal by applying color, texture and other treatments

Bridge Rails See-Through Alternatives

Metal Bridge Rails
TL-4
California ST-10 California ST-20S

Concrete Barriers
TL-4
Concrete Barrier Type 80 Concrete Barrier Type 90

California ST-30
California ST-70

TL-2
California ST-40

TL-2
Concrete Barrier Type 80SW

California ST 10 Bridge Rail

Description: See through 2-bar curb-mounted steel bridge rail Test Level: TL-4 Standard Plans: B11-68, B11-69, B11-70 Height: 33 above bridge deck (27 steel rail plus 6 curb) Comments: Requires additional rail for use as a pedestrian/bicycle rail to increase height to a minimum of 42. Successfully used on past projects in the Coastal Zone.

California ST 10 Bridge Rail

California ST-10 Bridge Rail with Bicycle Rail offset 15 from rail face California ST-10 Bridge Rail separated from the Pedestrian Handrail by a Walkway.

California ST 10 Bridge Rail

California ST-20S Bridge Rail

Description: See through 5-bar curb-mounted steel bridge rail Test Level: TL-4 Bridge Standard Detail Sheets: see website Height: 54 above bridge deck (48 steel rail plus 6 curb) Comments: The rail is 12 higher than the minimum required Bicycle Rail or Pedestrian Rail height of 42.

California ST-20S Bridge Rail

Van Duzen River Bridge Humboldt County

California ST-30 Bridge Rail

Description: See through 2-bar curb-mounted steel bridge rail Test Level: TL-4 Standard Plans: Standard Plan B11-65 Height: 32 above bridge deck (25 steel rail plus 7 curb) Comments: Requires additional rail for use as a pedestrian/bicycle rail to increase height to a minimum of 42.

California ST-30 Bridge Rail

South Fork Dibble Creek, Tehama County

California ST-70 Bridge Rail

Description: See through 4-bar curb-mounted steel bridge rail Test Level: TL-4 Bridge Standard Detail Sheets: see website Height: 46.5 above bridge deck (40.5 steel rail plus 6 curb) Comments: Rail is similar to California ST-20S Bridge rail except that the top 7.5 high handrail has been removed. This rail is 4.5 higher than the minimum required Bicycle Rail or Pedestrian Rail height of 42.

California ST 40 Bridge Rail

Description: See through 4-bar sidewalk mounted steel bridge rail. Test Level: TL-2 Standard Plans: Standard Plans B11-66, B11-67 Height: 42above sidewalk. 8 high sidewalk/curb next to traffic (9 at edge of deck). Constraints: Cannot be used on bridge decks with vehicular traffic signed for greater than 45 mph.

California ST 40 Bridge Rail

Renderings of California ST-40

Concrete Barrier Type 80

Description: See through concrete barrier. Test Level: TL-4 Standard Plans: Standard Plans B11-60, B11-61, XS Sheet website Height: 32 above bridge deck. Comments: Requires addition of steel rail on top to increase height to a minimum of 42 as well as modification of the clear opening for use as a pedestrian/bicycle rail.
Successfully used on past projects in the Coastal Zone.

Concrete Barrier Type 80

Photo of Concrete Barrier Type 80 - Modified with Architectural Treatment and with Bicycle Rail Offset 15 from Rail Face.

Concrete Barrier Type 80

Sheffield Drive Bridge Santa Barbara County

Concrete Barrier Type 90

Description: Concrete barrier with see through steel rail on top. Test Level 4: TL-4 Bridge Standard Detail Sheets: See website. Height: 32 above bridge deck. Comments: In order to also be used as a pedestrian/bicycle rail, requires additional steel rail mounted at least 15 behind the rail face to increase height to a minimum of 42 as well as modification to reduce the clear openings.

Concrete Barrier Type 80SW

Description: See through concrete barrier with a raised sidewalk. Test Level: TL-2 Standard Plans: Standard Plans B11-62, B11-63, B11-64 Height: 42 above sidewalk (32 See-through concrete barrier plus 10 of handrail). 8 high sidewalk/curb next to traffic (9 at edge of deck). Comments: Cannot be used on bridge decks with high speed vehicular traffic (greater than 45 mph).

Concrete Barrier Type 80SW

Canal Street Bridge El Dorado County

See-Through Bridge Rails Cost Comparison

Bridge Rail
Concrete Barrier Type 732 California ST-10 California ST-20S California ST-30 California ST-70 Estimated Cost/LF
$88/LF $204/LF $297/LF -------

Cost/Cost 732
1.00 2.32 3.37 -------

California ST-40
Concrete Barrier Type 80 Concrete Barrier Type 90 Concrete Barrier Type 80SW

---$264/LF ---$313/LF

---3.00 ---3.55

See-Through Bridge Rails

Summary
Metal Bridge Rails
TL-4
California ST-10 (H=33) +, ^

Concrete Barriers
TL-4
Conc Barrier Type 80 (H= 32) +, ^,#

California ST-20S
California ST-30 California ST-70

(H= 54) ++

Conc Barrier Type 90

(H= 32) ++,^, #

(H=32) +,^ (H= 46.5) ++

TL-2
California ST-40
Notes: +Standard Plans

TL-2
Conc Barrier Type 80SW
(H=42) +, #

(H=42) +

++ Bridge Standard Detail Sheet

^ Requires additional rail for use as a pedestrian/bike rail to increase height to 42 # Can apply architectural treatment

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
1. What is the recommended minimum rail height for bridge bicycle rails? AASHTO says 42 but the Highway Design Manual says 54.

AASHTO lowered the minimum required rail height for bicyclists from 54 to 42 at their 2006 annual meeting. The Caltrans initiated a bicycle rail height study that concluded that a 42 minimum bicycle rail offset 15 from the face of the vehicular rail is sufficient for most situations. The Department issued a memorandum on November 26, 2008 lowering the height from 54 to 42 for most applications. Caltrans recommends a minimum height of 48 where a combination of high bicycle speeds and high crash impact angles are anticipated. See AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications for more details

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
2. What is the Type Selection process for an aesthetic bridge rail?

The Project Development Team (PDT) shall evaluate the need for a CSS rail early in the project. A Conceptual Bridge Rail Plan needs to be reviewed/approved by the PDT and used in the environmental process. During the Design phase, need to ensure that the aesthetic bridge rail meets all project requirements as well as structural/crash test requirements.

Projects in the coastal zone may require special consideration.

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
3. Are there any special considerations where barriers are placed on a structure with a high super-elevation?

All bridge barriers are to remain vertical regardless of the superelevation. If the super-elevation is 6% or greater, a higher bridge rail is required on the outside of the curve. Issues regarding superelevation should be discussed as early in the design process as possible.

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
4. Can see-through rails developed for bridges be used in other applications?

The see-through rails were developed for bridge applications, but can be modified for other uses by special design.

a)

For example, a see-through rail can be used on the roadside by mounting the rail on a reinforced concrete trench footing or on a trench footing on CIDH piles.
See-through rails can also be used with earth retaining systems, however the design of the earth retaining system needs to consider vehicular impact loads.

b)

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
5. Are there any limitations on the type of aesthetic treatment that can be applied to these bridge rails?

Any color can be added as architectural treatment. There are limitations on the architectural texture that can be applied to the surface of rails. Drawings and reports detailing the texture relief limits on rail can be found at the Caltrans Landscape Architecture website:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LandArch/barrier_aesthetics/index.htm

See-Through Bridge Rails

Frequently Asked Questions.
6. Can these rails be used to support other roadway appendages, such as sign structures or lighting standards? In high speed locations (posted speeds over 45 mph), rails can support roadway appendages without any further crash testing, if the appendage is offset 15 behind the front face of the rail. This applies to bicycle rail, sign posts, sign structures, light standards, etc. In low speed locations (posted speed of 45 mph or less) rails without a sidewalk may have roadway appendages if the appendage is offset 8 behind the front face of rail. Rails with a sidewalk in low speed locations do not require an offset for appendages, but special attachment details may apply depending on the rail type. Contact Caltrans/DES when there is a need for any roadway appendage to be attached to top or backside of rail.

See-Through Bridge Rails

Bridge Standard Detail Sheets (aka XS Sheets) website: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/techpubs/man ual/bridgemanuals/bridge-standard-detailsheets/

See-Through Bridge Rails Next Steps

Guidance
DRAFT Design Information Bulletin (DIB), Bridge Rail Development, Design and Selection Guidelines Update Highway Design Manual Bridge Rails and Barriers: A Reference Guide for Transportation Projects in the Coastal Zone

Crash Testing/ Development of additional alternatives

Shannon Post/ Greg Kaderabek Division of Engineering Services August, 2011

See-Through Bridge Rails

Shannon Post/ Greg Kaderabek Division of Engineering Services August, 2011