Jersey Barriers provide a host of functions despite their simple appearance, they are heavyweight meaning they are durable and reliable. But the fact that they weigh a lot must surely make it difficult to move.
In this blog, we will answer the question ‘How are Jersey Barriers installed?’
At PPC Concrete Products, we are here to provide solutions for your construction needs, from the person working their own part-time project, to commercial clients, and everyone in-between.
Monthly construction output had risen an estimated by an 1.6% value in June 2023, and we would like to think our accessible concrete products had a small part to play by giving our clients easy access to reliable and easy-to-use construction solutions.
Jersey Barriers explained
A Jersey Barrier is a form of barrier made of concrete. It is also known as a concrete barrier. They are generally used within construction sites, traffic diversion, site management, crowd control, and much more.
Jersey Barriers are made by pouring concrete into specially made pre-cast moulds. The concrete is allowed to dry, and the mould is removed, resulting in a Jersey Barrier. Jersey Barriers also have the ability to interlock, reinforcing their effectiveness.
Jersey Barriers also benefit from being weatherproof as a result of being made from concrete. This is helpful in environments within England that can be wet, cold and windy depending on where you are.
Additionally, concrete barriers are heavy, this makes them extremely difficult to move, and due to the natural durability of concrete, it is difficult to damage. This combination of durability and heavy weight enables a concrete barrier to be one of the best long-term options available.
Why are Jersey Barriers needed?
The function of a barrier is simply to prevent, or limit, access to a site or area. This could be for security reasons, safety reasons, or a combination of both.
Generally, Jersey Barriers are used to prevent members of the public from accessing construction areas, or creating a safe path for them to navigate through beside a construction site.
Jersey Barriers, prevent vehicles from entering sites by force. This can prevent large scale damage to the building, and prevent large scale theft of site equipment/ installations.
Additionally, Jersey barriers are heavy, this makes them extremely difficult to move, and due to the natural durability of concrete, it is difficult to damage. This combination of durability and heavy weight enables a concrete barrier to be one of the best long-term options available.
How are Jersey Barriers Installed?
Jersey Barriers are installed by first transporting them via truck, they are then removed and placed with a forklift individually, or with similar heavy lifting equipment. Depending on the perimeter or area of placement, Jersey Barriers can be interlocked.
They are interlocked by placing the Jersey Barriers end on end. Interlocking the barriers will result in them being more difficult to remove, this is due to the collective stability provided by interlocking the barriers.
How much do Jersey Barriers weigh?
At PPC, our Jersey Barriers weigh just below 2.5 tonnes. This may seem a lot for a single barrier, but rest assured, this weight guarantees our concrete barriers can not be moved without any heavy lifting equipment. Especially if they are interlocked
The heavy weight ensures that your barrier is unlikely to be tampered with, and damaged unless it is a very high velocity impact. This gives peace of mind and a layer of security for sites that need a basic level of protection.
Weights of barriers will likely vary nominally depending on the manufacturer.
What are the dimensions of a Jersey Barrier?
Amongst different providers, the dimensions of their concrete blocks may vary, but with that in mind, the dimensions of our Jersey Barriers are, 900×2000 mm. This equates to 90×200 cm.
Can you install a Jersey Barrier by hand?
Absolutely not. Jersey Barriers are extremely heavyweight and do not have an appropriate shape to be lift safely by one person, let alone a group of people. You should never attempt to install or manipulate a Jersey Barrier without heavy lifting equipment, as you could be risking life-changing injuries by doing so.
How do you lift a Jersey Barrier?
You can lift our Jersey Barrier via forklift, or similar heavy lifting equipment. The Jersey Barrier has spaces beneath the barrier designed to lift it via the forklift. You should only move one barrier at a time, do not attempt to stack them in transit.
Where should Jersey Barriers not be placed?
Jersey Barriers should not be placed in the following environments:
- Directly atop of unsecure land. Unsecure land could be land immediately surrounding a sinkhole, a dilapidated structure etc. Jersey Barriers should be placed a safe distance away, as it will prevent people from coming to an unsafe distance.
- Public areas that have not been approved prior to placement.
- On dramatically uneven ground. Doing this will result in the Jersey Barrier not being securely placed, meaning it could move or fall easily.
Where can I buy Jersey Barriers?
Jersey Barriers can be bought from reputable concrete providers such as PPC. Our concrete barriers boast an interlocking feature which improves the structural integrity of the barrier. As
Depending on the provider you opt to use, you can either buy the barriers permanently, or pay to use them, returning them once your usage period is over.
Some providers have both a result, once interlocked, the barriers become exceedingly more difficult to remove.
Is a Jersey Barrier safe?
As with anything, the safety of an object is also subject to the user. Jersey Barriers are safe for purpose. However, using the barriers beyond the purpose they were designed for may affect your safety. We encourage everyone to use these barriers as they were designed to.
What is the Jersey Barrier lifespan?
Jersey barriers are made from concrete, which if it’s weatherproofed, has the ability from 50 years all the way up to a century. When it comes to Jersey barriers, it could be argued that they could very easily have the same lifespan.
However, we must consider the circumstances that Jersey Barriers endure, the likelihood is they will be outside every day, and as a result, the constant exposure to varying amounts of weather will contribute to degradation. If the barrier is taking impact on a regular basis, this will also speed up the level of degradation.
Taking the impact out of the equation for a moment, a regular concrete barrier exposed to the weather every day could easily last a minimum of around 20 years. This of course is hard to pinpoint as the weather is different depending on where you go.
That being said, a minimum of 20 years, leading up to 100 years, is more than enough time to commence and finish a building project. Whatever your purpose, Jersey Barriers can have the ability to last a lifetime.
Buy Jersey Barriers today
As an established supplier all over the UK, PPC Concrete Products is always happy to help, which is why we encourage you to get in touch with any questions you may have or have a look at our FAQ.
In this blog, we hope to have answered the question ‘Can Jersey Barriers be used as retaining walls?’, whilst also providing extra information in regard to construction solutions that we offer.
Take a read of our case studies to truly understand how we have provided solutions for business in the past with the use of our interlocking concrete blocks, and ultimately, how we can help you today.
Read our blog page for more insights into our passion, construction.
Address:
The Old Gasworks,
Higginshaw Lane,
Royton,
Oldham,
OL2 6HQ
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday – 8 AM until 4 PM
Tel: 01706 655245
Email: info@ppcconcreteproducts.co.uk
