rap #82 05/12/09
ATTENUATOR "CRASH CUSHION" PROTECTS
ROAD CREWS AND MOTORISTS
IT’S A DANGER every road crew faces – a speeding or out-of-control vehicle heading for a parked truck and the men
and women working nearby.
Today, thanks to the combined efforts of three Ocean County departments, those road crews and motorists alike are
protected by a state-of-the-art anti-collision system, or attenuator.
"Attenuators are basically large crash cushions," explained Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly. "Should an errant
vehicle strike an attenuator, the crash energy is dispersed and the vehicle comes to an immediate stop. "It’s not unusual
for a driver to walk away from such an accident virtually unhurt."
The Ocean County Department of Vehicle Services refurbished three older dump trucks so they could be fitted
attenuators.
The County then contracted with Atlas Flasher to purchase and attach the attenuators to the trucks at a cost of $29,887
each.
The trucks are parked at construction sights, providing a mobile defense barrier between traffic and workers.
"The attenuators can stop a car traveling up to 60 mph," Kelly said. "Even at that speed, the truck will not move."
The trucks will also follow slowly behind engineering crews painting new stripes on roadways.
Kelly, who is liaison to the Ocean County Engineer’s Office, said the county saved more than $150,000 by
refurbishing the old trucks rather than buying new vehicles.
Freeholder James F. Lacey said the county will also make the attenuators available to the county’s 33
municipalities for local road projects.
"We’ve already had a lot of demand from our County Road Department for these trucks," Lacey said. "With the success
of this first effort, I would expect we will be converting additional trucks in the future."
Lacey is liaison to both the Ocean County Road Department and the Department of Vehicle Services.
Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr. praised the cooperation between the engineering, road and vehicle
departments in converting the dump trucks to attenuators.
"This is a perfect example of our various county
departments working together on an innovative project that not only protects motorists and our own employees, but also
saved money," Bartlett said.
