Motorists at a busy junction on the A3 High Speed Red Route have now been protected against the road sign hazards within the wide junction split after the installation of the UK’s first Leonidas Wide Crash Cushion on Shannon’s Corner.
The installation of the 100 km/h Wide Crash Cushion was a collaborative approach with Highway Care supplying the Leonidas crash cushion and organising the install alongside Arbus Limited on behalf of the LoHAC, Kier Highways who manage the A3 High Speed Red Route.
Shannon’s Corner is a major junction along the A3 High Speed Red Route, leading off into the Bushey Flyover for onward journeys into the surrounding Merton borough. The previous impacted crash cushion was replaced with a Leonidas 100W crash cushion because it has interchangeable sections and is easier to maintain.
Jimmy Deeprose, Cyclical Works Manager, LoHAC, Kier Highways, said: “Over the long term we hope any future damage to the cushion would allow us to replicate such an easy and quick repair which is crucial for the busy London road network. Our understanding is that this cushion has interchangeable sections, so if, for example only the front two blocks were hit in an RTC, this specific segment could be removed and replaced rather than the entire unit. This would provide huge cost and time savings.”
The installation of the Leonidas crash cushion on Shannon’s Corner was particularly challenging due to it being a busy high speed red route. A full closure was needed to complete the works safely.
However, due to the type of cushion, the actual installation was far smoother and simpler than other comparative types.
Mr Deeprose add:, “clearly in these current COVID-19 times there were additional constraints for us all to overcome, however again the cushion type meant that social distancing could be easily maintained throughout. The installation of the Leonidas Crash Cushion on the A3 Shannon’s Corner was a really positive UK first for Kier Highways and TfL.
“The cushion offered a quick and easy installation, with significant accompanying H&S benefits and allowed us to maintain critical social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fast installation also meant extremely minimal impact to the busy red route network.
“Kier Highways is always looking to utilise the latest innovative products and methods on the TfL Network and are proud to have been the first in the UK to install this new cushion type.
Highway Care were really helpful offering a direct line for technical advice which Kier Highways and Arbus really appreciated.”
What sets these re-directive steel crash cushions apart? The simple replacement of the impact absorbing panels after a collision, saving maintenance contractors on project time and costs.
· Largest Selection available, with 43 variants of width size and speed limit options available; of options
· Simple replacement of impact absorbing panels after a collision, saving maintenance contractors on project time and costs
· Market Leading short system lengths for applications with limited space
· The Leonidas Parallel for narrow spaces, particularly tunnels, protecting against vehicles of varying speeds, including: 50 km/h, 80 km/h, 100 km/h and up to 110 km/h. 110km/h Parallel system has even passed experimental high speed test at 130 km/h (80.8mph)
· Semi-Wide solution ideal for slip roads and junction schemes
· X-Wide protects larger and wider, hazards with performance speeds from 80 km/h to 110 km/h.
