As a construction site manager, it's your duty to ensure construction is completed as safely and quickly as possible with minimal disruption to traffic. Case study after case study shows that truck mounted attenuators along with other moveable barriers may be the key to achieving these essential road construction goals. Wondering how a truck mounted attenuator coupled with moveable barriers can help on your job site? Here is a look at some of the top ways:

1. Truck mounted attenuators create a heightened sense of safety

Truck mounted attenuators create a clear boundary between lanes of traffic and the work site. Unlike plastic barrels or construction cones, truck mounted attenuators are large, visible and designed to hold their ground. Even if a motorists accidentally hits one, the truck will absorb the kinetic force of the shock, and the crashing vehicle will not enter the work zone.

This additional layer of security means that workers can safely work up to the boundary between the passing traffic and the work site. This arrangement heightens worker safety and increases the amount of usable lanes during construction.

2. Moveable barriers create more effective traffic flow

On busy roads, it is essential to keep traffic flowing during roadworks. Unfortunately, this task is often harder than it seems, and it can be affected by everything from how soon motorists are alerted of road works to how well traffic flaggers communicate with each other about which lanes are open in either direction.  

With a truck mounted attenuator supported by moveable barrier systems on your work site, you don't just have the luxury of potentially more open lanes. You also have the ability to change which lanes are open based on the changing needs of traffic throughout the day.

For instance, if you are working on a road which has more traffic going east, for example, in the morning when people are traveling to work and more traffic going west in the evening when people are returning from work, you can move the truck mounted attenuator and the moveable barriers that surround it in the middle of the day to change the number of lanes open in either direction of lanes. In the morning, you may have three lanes going east and one west, but in the evening, you may reverse that.

3. Truck mounted attenuators and moveable barriers can eliminate crossover accidents

Regardless of which lanes are open, when you use a truck mounted attenuator in conjunction with moveable barriers, you virtually eliminate crossover accidents. If a work site is organised so traffic moving in opposite directions passes right next to each other, this arrangement can be confusing and potentially deadly for drivers.

With a moveable barrier system, there is a clear and strong physical barrier between traffic moving in opposite directions, and this eliminates crossover accidents. It also creates clear, noticeable boundaries for drivers prone to confusion.

4. Truck mounted attenuators contribute to clear and easy to understand traffic control

Unless a motorist is sleeping or completely not paying attention, it is virtually impossible to miss a truck mounted attenuator. Drivers can clearly see these vehicles and their bright crash pads, and they can also clearly see any moveable barriers that have been set up alongside of the truck mounted attenuator.

Because of their strength and visibility, these tools help to organise the traffic in a clear and consistent way. For example, if you are working on a road with businesses lining it, and drivers are attempting to turn through the construction site into business parking lots, you can effectively use the truck mounted attenuators and barriers to make it clear whether or not a left turn is allowed.

By reducing driver confusion, you keep workers safe, but you also keep the traffic flowing. When drivers know they have to wait until a certain spot to turn (because it is clearly indicated), they don't sit in the middle of traffic with their indicators blinking, holding up traffic for several minutes.