In January 2016, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a letter of joint agreement with the American Association of State Transportation Officials (AASHTO) outlining new requirements for highway safety hardware, which includes permanent and temporary roadside barrier.
The requirement states all temporary precast concrete barrier designs manufactured on or after December 31st, 2019, must have been successfully tested in accordance with the 2016 Edition of MASH (Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware). This includes portable barrier installed permanently, bridge rails, transitions and all other longitudinal barrier.
This mandate takes effect Dec. 31, 2019. Temporary barrier manufactured prior to this date must have been successfully tested in accordance with NCHRP Report 350 or the 2009 Edition of MASH and may continue to be used throughout their normal service lives.
Precasters manufacturing barrier should contact their DOTs about their state’s strategy and policy to comply with the FHWA timeline.
