Guardrail Protection for ITS Equipment

HOT Lanes Project (I-77)

SUMMARY

Detour in accordance with the North Carolina Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD)

No freeway closure is needed.

Charlotte-based I-77 Mobility Partners is financing, developing, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the 26-mile project. NCDOT retains ownership of the roadway and helps ensure I-77 Mobility Partners adheres to the standards of their contractual partnership. Construction, managed by Sugar Creek Construction, began in 2015. I-77 Express opened in November 2019.

By converting the current High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to Express Lanes, more vehicles will travel more quickly through the north corridor. During each trip, motorists will be able to decide if they want to use the express lanes, the general purpose lanes or a combination of both to allow for a more efficient drive.

I-77 Mobility Partners asked AZIERTA to assist in the design, preparation and submittal of construction plans to improve the safety of maintenance vehicles to allow access to the existing ITS equipment.

AZIERTA recommended MSKT TL-3 and double-faced W-beam guardrails to protect the existing ITS equipment while the maintenance vehicles could safely access to the ITS equipment.