To strengthen road safety and enhance the quality of National Highway construction, NHAI has issued directions for the contractors to ensure strict adherence to the defined guidelines for installation of Metal Beam Crash Barrier (MBCB) along the National Highways as per standards specified by the Indian Road Congress (IRC) and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways regarding Traffic Safety Barriers.

The directions include that the Concessionaire/Contractor should ensure that material supplied for the Crash Barrier should be of same specification as given in crash test report and it should be installed as per the methodology provided by manufacturer. The Concessionaire/Contractor shall obtain a certificate from manufacturer that Crash Barrier installed at project site is as per prescribed design, standards and specifications. In addition, the desired level of ground layer compaction should also be ensured by the Concessionaire/Contractor.

They also include instructions for the Metal Beam Crash Barrier Manufacturer directing them to ensure identification of their product, by embossing the Brand Name, Lot/Batch Number, Grade of Steel, and other relevant details on each element of the MBCB. The manufacturer should also provide a QR code on MBCB through which the SOP/Methodology for installation of MBCB can be easily accessed by anyone at the project site. In addition, while approving the MBCB, Authority Engineer/ Independent Engineer shall ensure that all technical specification meet the design standards defined in crash test report.

NHAI is committed to achieve the highest standards in National Highway construction and these guidelines will not only increase the accountability of Contractors / Concessionaires to deliver good quality projects but will also go a long way to enhance safety of the National Highway users across the country. 

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DS/AK