Concrete barriers can provide excellent coverage around the perimeter of a construction site and more. That being said, any sort of barrier should be durable and last a long time as standard.
With that in mind, In this blog, we will be answering the question, ‘How long do concrete barriers last?’
As an established and trusted concrete provider, PPC Concrete Products aim to provide solutions for people in the construction industry. Alongside interlocking concrete blocks, we also provide Jersey Barriers.
For any building project, knowing the options you can select when it comes to barriers and other concrete solutions can be extremely helpful when it comes to protecting access to your project, building it, and possibly saving you money.
PPC Concrete Products is here to provide the answers you may be looking for whilst giving you an insight into the quality concrete options we supply.
The demand for construction is only increasing, on a private and industrial level. Whichever side you fall into, a concrete barrier may be an option to keep your site secure. Let us tell you more about them.
What is a concrete barrier used for?
Barriers are vital for our everyday life, they come in many shapes and sizes, the front door to your home, the walls of your house, and even your shower cubicle, are all forms of barriers.
The purpose of a barrier is to keep something away from what is behind or inside the barrier. When it comes to construction sites, barriers play a vital role in ensuring the safety of all who are working on the site, and those who are passing by.
Although the purpose of a concrete barrier is quite simple, its level of application is wide. Here is where concrete barriers are used.
- On roads for traffic control.
- For perimeter protection during events (crowd control), construction and more.
- For temporary construction works.
- To protect workers from hazards such as heavy machinery.
- To ensure the safety of motorways and dual carriageways under work
- For security barriers at open rail lines.
- To support a large, temporary structure, such as scaffolding, a stage, or a marquee tent.
- To block unwanted vehicles (e.g. blocking vehicles from getting into a secure location, such as an airport).
- For docking next to waterways.
- For creating parking bays.
- For securing a vacant area.
- For preventing fly-tipping.
- To be used as a base for public seating, public artwork or a public garden feature.
- For use in a public playground or skate park.
Can barriers only be made from concrete?
No, for barriers can be made from many materials, the main forms you would find them in aside from concrete, would be metal or plastic.
Each has its pros and cons, but you must be aware that for a construction site, a metal or plastic barrier is much less durable and easier to move. As a result, if you’re using these styles of barriers to stop vehicles from entering, you will find that it won’t be effective.
That does not mean that these styles of barriers can’t be used on a construction site at all, on the contrary, a metal or plastic barrier can be placed in a way to serve a function such as directing people or cordoning off a space.
What happens if my site has no barriers at all?
Simply put, if you aren’t using a concrete barrier, your site has a higher likelihood of being trespassed by people and vehicles alike if they so choose. Additionally, you may be risking the health and safety of the workers on the site.
The risk to worker safety in conjunction with not using a concrete barrier arises as there may be a specific area that workers shouldn’t enter. With no indication that this area shouldn’t be accessed, there is a risk to health and safety.
How long do concrete barriers last?
Concrete, if it is weatherproofed, has the ability from 50 years all the way up to a century. When it comes to concrete barriers, it could be argued that they could very easily have the same lifespan.
However we must consider the circumstances that concrete 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, concrete barriers have the ability to last a lifetime.
What is the best type of concrete?
Roman concrete has been recorded as the best concrete that had ever been used. The reason being, as that this concrete actually strengthened over time, creating structures that have lasted the test of time.
Some would question why this form of concrete isn’t still used, unfortunately, this is due to construction projects in modern times having stricter deadlines, and would opt for concrete that cures at a much quicker rate than Roman concrete.
Are concrete barriers worth the investment?
Concrete barriers are absolutely worth the investment, especially for those working on large industrial builds. Not having a concrete barrier means anybody can enter whether or not there is security there, and any possible damages that occur as a result of the trespassing may set back the whole project depending on the severity.
What are the dimensions of a concrete barrier?
The dimensions of our concrete barriers are 900×2000 mm. This equates to 90×200 cm. This is the height and width respectively. If we want to measure the thickness, we must look at the depth.
Our concrete barriers are more narrow on the top than they are on the bottom, this is done to ensure stability, the lighter the top area is, the less weight that can be used for leverage in knocking over the concrete barriers.
With that in mind, the thickness at the bottom of our concrete barriers are 542 mm, the top is 200mm.
These dimensions display that Jersey barriers aren’t tall structures, but more than tall and wide enough to barricade your site from vehicles. The thickness also ensures they become extremely difficult to make unstable, and adds an extra level of durability.
Alternatively, for those wanting a taller barrier, enquiring about our interlocking concrete blocks may be the right option for you. Although their primary purpose isn’t as a barrier, it can be used as one, especially as they can be stacked upon each other.
Purchase concrete 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 take a look at our FAQ.
In this article, we hope to have answered the question ‘How long do concrete barriers last?’ Whilst also providing extra information in regard to construction and the benefits of our concrete barriers.
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:
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Tel: 01706 655245
Email: info@ppcconcreteproducts.co.uk
