Nu-Guard® 31 Guardrail - permanent barrier perfect for a temporary situation
The widening of one of the busiest sections of motorway in the country to create a new fourth northbound lane right next to the main rail line south was never going to be an easy task. Keeping traffic flowing with minimal disruption while allowing room for main contractor Fulton Hogan to work on road widening was the key factor when choosing the slim line profile of CSP’s Nu-Guard® Steel Post Guardrail system for temporary traffic management for the duration of the project.
Fulton Hogan, in a joint venture with John Holland, are working in liaison with KiwiRail to ease congestion by constructing an additional northbound lane from the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway on-ramp to just after the main highway overbridge.
Project planning had to take into account the spatial challenges of the site. With the rail corridor’s 25,000 volt overhead lines and the danger of busy motorway traffic, the Fulton Hogan team were looking to save space as much as possible.
“New Zealand Transport Agency and AMA provided approval, after some review, to enable the guardrail system to be installed specifically for this project,” explains Raymond David, Project Manager from Fulton Hogan / John Holland JV. “It ‘s believed to be the first installation into the asphalt on the motorway network in New Zealand - as advised by GHD the engineer’s representative. Due to the length of the site and the proximity of the overhead lines, project locations are specifically targeted within allowable electrical isolation timeframes and safety distance. The guardrail system allows some flexibility to work in an already restricted space.”
| “CSP’s Nu-Guard® Steel Post Guardrail system has a width of less than 150mm which certainly made it our preferred choice of temporary traffic barrier when compared to a concrete barrier which has a much larger footprint,” explains Aidan Noone, Project Engineer from Fulton Hogan/John Holland. “The Nu-Guard® Steel Post Guardrail is traditionally used as a permanent barrier however in this location it is by far the best option.” |
As part of the road widening there is also a requirement for the installation of new lighting columns. “We have worked with CSP on the engineering of the columns as they will eventually need to be mounted on the safety barrier,” says Richard Cook from Coll Electrical. “We are a way off installing them but CSP have been working closely with Fulton Hogan on the design changes required for the mountings which are unique to the location because of the lack of space.”