The first temporary crash cushion to be installed in Scotland has already been put to the test on a scheme to add a new junction on the M8.
As part of works to construct the Bishopton Interchange, CTM Group installed the Tau Tube crash cushion from Highway Care as an appropriate end terminal to a BarrierGuard 800 temporary steel barrier on the rib line of lane 1.
The additional protection was seen as needed on what is an unlit section of the motorway with no speed restriction.
The installation was the first of its kind in Scotland and the barrier was sourced by Morgan Sindall, the contractor on the £14.1m contract, after consultation with Transerv and Police Scotland.
Ian Davey, commercial manager at Highway Care: ‘We have been successfully using crash cushions as a safe end terminal for Temporary Vehicle Restraint Systems (TVRS), such as steel and concrete barriers, throughout England. Its re-directive performance has saved lives of both drivers and road workers for years.
‘We are pleased that through our installation partnership with CTM Group, we have not only been able to supply 10km regional stock of BarrierGuard 800 steel barrier but also provide access to safety solutions that are not currently deployed throughout Scotland.’
The Tau Tube crash cushion can absorb impacts up to 110 km/h in less than 6 metres. Requiring less space, parts and maintenance, the TAU Tube System is suitable for narrow locations as a re-directive crash cushion designed to protect hazards such as highway nosings, toll booths and bridge parapets that cannot be removed or relocated.
The cushion on the Bishopton Interchange project was put to the test during the temporary works in a collision, re-directing the errant vehicle safely and performing as designed, according to Highway Care. It was promptly and easily replaced for the duration of the works without any further incident.
The project to create the new interchange, which will be situated between Glasgow and Greenock, will involve the construction of Junction 29A on the M8 , with new on and off slip roads being constructed where the A8 currently passes over the M8. The scheme has been commissioned as part of BAE Systems’ regeneration of the former Royal Ordnance site in Bishopton.
Completion is expected in 2019.