Transitions and Terminals: Innovative solutions for black spots

Roads shorten distances and bring people closer together. That’s why it is so important to ensure their safety as much as possible, so that they reach their destination safely, be it their work, their family or their friends. The different national, regional and local administrations keep the main black points of our roads identified and updated, and from Metalesa, we have been participating in a number of projects that aim at providing safe solutions to these specific locations for many years. A clear commitment to remodel our roads includes equipping them with new infrastructures that fulfil the purpose of ensuring road safety. In this scenario is where we act.

Cullera-Favara Section: One of our latest Road Safety projects

During the last two years, work has been done in Cullera on the construction of a section that will undoubtedly represent a milestone for the improvement of the communication routes in the area.

As José Luis Ábalos, Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda points out, "this action will translate into an improvement in road safety by creating an alternative route to that of the current national highway as it passes through both towns."

The truth is that residents have been demanding the completion of this infrastructure for a long time, and finally, they will be able to count on the Cullera and Favara bypass, a section included in the A-38 corridor, which represents the largest investment in this matter of infrastructures that the central government has never carried out in the Valencian region of Ribera Baixa.

Metalesa in the project: installation of transitions and terminals

At Metalesa we have been in charge of installing more than 15,000 meters of META16 metal parapet with containment level H3. We invite you to sit down to enjoy this impressive video where you can see the result of so much work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd_MFsbvDIk

But the objective of this article is to present the transitions and terminals, other road safety products that are very unusual in Spain, but undoubtedly essential on the roads, and which will become more widespread as soon as our leaders and public administration technicians acquire greater sensitivity for the situations they avoid.

Blackhead removal with transitions and terminals

The black points or accident concentration sections (TCA) are sections of the road network in which a large number of traffic accidents occur each year.

From the Cullera City Council, they affirm that this work "was of vital importance to prevent more people from losing their lives." In addition, Oro Azorín, mayor of Favara, also believes that it will offer the town a great increase in road safety.

Municipal sources in Cullera also assure that it is good news for the entire Valencian Community because the black spots on the roads that have suffered, especially the populations of the coast, are being eliminated.

Transitions for roads

The installation of transitions for roads allows the union between containment systems of different nature, that is, it connects two safety barriers of different cross section or different level of containment, such as a metal parapet and a New Jersey-type concrete barrier.

At Metalesa we have an approved Transition designed in a versatile way, that is, it allows us to connect both our META13, containment level H2, and our META16, containment level H3, to a contiguous concrete barrier.

It is a device designed and manufactured entirely by Metalesa, and approved according to the French standard NF-058, which implies that the transitions that we install have been shock tested on a full scale according to said standard. We are the only Spanish company that has tested transitions between different containment systems on a full scale because we have decided to be ahead of our competition. We believe that the French standard represents the future of what the European standard will establish, which is currently being drafted by the standardizing technical committees to which Metalesa belongs.

What are the advantages of installing a highway transition?

  • System reliability: In the event of a side impact of the vehicle, it behaves like a conventional metallic barrier, thus guaranteeing the containment and adequate redirection of the vehicle.
  • Easy to repair and repair parts available from stock.
  • Anti-corrosion treatment: We offer various finishing options for road transitions, both hot-dip galvanized and thermo-lacquered, as a treatment that combines both processes.

Road Terminals

Highway terminals are placed at the ends of containment systems such as parapets or metal barriers, to ensure greater safety against a frontal impact with said completion. We have a wide range of models with different characteristics and certificates, all of which have been tested by means of tests in an accredited laboratory according to the EN 1317 standard.

We offer supply and installation of three models:

Model T50 - 50KM/H

This terminal is ideal for urban environments, in areas whose maximum permitted speed does not exceed 50 km / h.

Model P2 - 80KM/H

Terminal P2, unlike Model T50, is used on highways, where the permitted speed is not higher than 80Km / H. We have several designs of road terminals.

Model P4 - 110KM/H

This terminal is also designed to be installed on highways, but on high-speed roads. We have several homologated models of anchoring to the ground, both for concrete and earth ground.

Undoubtedly, projects such as the construction of the Cullera-Favara Section, which include infrastructures for road safety such as our transitions and terminals, show that there really is a commitment to make the roads safe roads that serve what we commented at the beginning of this article: bring people closer. For more information call us at 96 088 99 44 or send us an email to metalesa@metalesa.com