Commercial & Industrial Fencing & Guardrail | Serving Chicagoland & Illinois
Services - Highway & Guardrail
Guardrail
Guardrail is a crucial roadside safety feature designed to protect motorists, pedestrians, and nearby infrastructure in the event of a vehicle leaving the roadway. By effectively containing and redirecting errant vehicles, guardrail helps minimize the severity of crashes and reduce the risk of fatalities or serious injuries. Commonly installed along highways, sharp curves, steep slopes, and bridge approaches, guardrail serves as a barrier to prevent vehicles from colliding with obstacles, such as trees, utility poles, or other hazards. It also helps to prevent vehicles from rolling over embankments or entering opposing traffic lanes, reducing the potential for head-on collisions or multiple-vehicle accidents. Its versatile applications extend beyond roadsides to include parking lots, pedestrian walkways, industrial facilities, commercial spaces, railways, parks, residential areas, and bike lanes.
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Guardrail is typically constructed from durable materials, such as steel or wood, and is designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy, allowing the vehicle to come to a controlled stop. Modern guardrail systems, such as W-Beam and Thrie-Beam rails, have been engineered to meet stringent crashworthiness criteria, ensuring optimal performance and safety.
In addition to their life-saving potential, guardrail also contributes to the aesthetic appeal and traffic flow management on roadways. It can serve as a visual guide for drivers, helping maintain proper lane discipline and reducing the risk of accidents caused by lane changes or merging issues. Overall, the use of guardrail on roadsides is essential for enhancing roadway safety and protecting lives and infrastructure.
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We offer and install All IDOT Approved Systems/Standards.​
New and used material is available. Please contact us for your guardrail needs.
Note: Used material is limited to stock on hand.
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Guardrail has versatile applications beyond just roadsides, serving as a safety barrier in various environments. Some alternative uses for guardrail include:
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Parking lots and structures: Guardrail can be installed in parking lots and multi-level parking structures to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off elevated surfaces or colliding with building components, pedestrians, or other vehicles.
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Pedestrian walkways and paths: Guardrail can be used to separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic or dangerous areas, ensuring the safety of walkers, joggers, and cyclists in public spaces.
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Industrial facilities and warehouses: Guardrail can protect machinery, equipment, and workers in industrial settings by creating barriers around hazardous areas, such as loading docks or heavy equipment operation zones.
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Commercial and retail spaces: Guardrail can be used in shopping centers, malls, or other commercial areas to control traffic flow, protect storefronts from vehicular damage, and ensure pedestrian safety.
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Railways: Guardrail can be installed along railway tracks to prevent vehicles or pedestrians from accidentally entering the tracks, reducing the risk of collisions or derailments.
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Parks and recreational areas: Guardrail can be installed in parks and other recreational spaces to provide safety barriers around playgrounds, sports fields, or bodies of water, ensuring the well-being of visitors.
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Residential areas: Guardrail can be used in residential neighborhoods to protect homes and yards from vehicular damage, particularly in areas with sharp curves or steep inclines.
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Bike lanes: Guardrail can be installed to separate bicycle lanes from motor vehicle traffic, providing additional safety for cyclists.
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These alternative applications demonstrate the versatility and importance of guardrail as a safety barrier in a wide range of environments, contributing to the protection of people, property, and infrastructure.
Guardrail Components:
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W-Beam and Thrie-Beam Steel Rails: The most common type of guardrail featuring W-shaped or Thrie-Beam shaped steel rails.
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Guardrail Posts: Steel or wooden posts that support the guardrail system.
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Offset Blocks: Also called spacer blocks, they are used to position the guardrail away from the supporting posts, providing space for the rail to deflect upon impact.
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End Terminals: Devices installed at the ends of the guardrail to safely redirect errant vehicles and prevent spearing or ramping effects.
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Crash Cushions: Impact attenuators designed to absorb and dissipate the energy of an impacting vehicle, reducing the severity of the crash.
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Transitions: Special designs used to transition from one type of barrier to another, such as from a W-Beam guardrail to a concrete barrier.
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Cable Guardrails: Systems using multiple steel cables tensioned between posts to absorb and distribute impact energy.
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Hardware: Various components, such as bolts, nuts, and washers, used to assemble and secure the guardrail system.
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Reflective Markers: Devices installed on the guardrail system to enhance visibility at night or in adverse weather conditions.
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Some of the most common guardrail systems we install include:​
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W-Beam Guardrails: These are the most common type of guardrail system and consist of a steel W-beam rail mounted on steel posts.
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Thrie-Beam Guardrails: These systems have a larger surface area than W-Beam guardrails, offering more resistance to impacts. Thrie-Beam guardrails are often used in transitions from W-Beam guardrails to concrete barriers.
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Cable Guardrails: These systems use multiple steel cables tensioned between posts to absorb and distribute impact energy. They are often used in areas where flexibility is needed.
AISC Certified for Bridge & Highway Metal Component Standards