Redirective, non-gating cushion

Barrier Systems, a division of Lindsay Transportation Solutions, has added the X-TENuator system to its lineup of road safety devices. X-TENuator provides a redirective non-gating crash cushion and has been designed to be installed permanently. It is also approved to be used on asphalt in work zones where redirective non-gating performance is required. Standard transition options, narrow footprint and easy deployment make the system ideal for shielding narrow roadside hazards such as narrow medians, gore areas, the side-of-the-road and toll plazas at low-impact sites, according to the manufacturer.

Makes signs from e-waste

Image Microsystems’ MicroStrate sign is made of substrate material that has been found to be an environmentally-friendly and lower-cost alternative to aluminum for use in highway signs and road marker, says Texas Tech University’s Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory. “According to our recent laboratory experiments, the recycled e-waste plastic MicroStrate material has similar physical properties to aluminum,” explains Hong-Chao Zhang, PhD, P.E., professor of industrial engineering and director of the Texas Tech lab. “In some aspects (such as withstanding environmental effects and free vibration), MicroStrate sign substrate exhibits superior properties to aluminum. Our extensive life-cycle analysis also concludes that the manufacture of sign substrate made from MicroStrate material consumes less resources and emits fewer greenhouse gases – just one-fourth of the emissions of typical aluminum substrate.” Image Microsystems revealed the information at ATSSA 2011 in Phoenix.

For a YouTube video on the signs being made, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrtpiRSG0ns&feature=youtube_gdata.

Bright and tough reflectors

Hot Dots round 3-inch center-mount reflectors from Pexco, a division of Davidson Traffic Control Products, are highly abrasion-resistant and highly impact-resistant. When subjected to 60 inch-pounds of force, the daytime Hot Dots dimple instead of fracture like acrylic reflectors; at nighttime, they retain brightness instead of losing it. When cracks develop, the reflectors also retain reflectivity. They are available in yellow, white, red, blue and green.