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Road safety barrier systems

Published: | Category: Barriers , Maintenance , Specifications | Audiences: Road traffic engineers & consultants, Roading contractors

This specification covers the requirements for road safety barrier systems used on state highways. 

Technical advice

Road safety hardware

Notes

  1. Notification letters regarding system testing requirements and specification added.

  2. Workshop registration is now available in the road safety barrier training section below.

  3. Interim update to training requirements as of 9 November 2023 in the road safety barrier training section below.

Publication details

  • Author:
  • Published: October 2009
  • Version: 5.0 (April 2022)
  • ISBN/ISSN: ISBN 978-1-99-004456-4 (online)
  • Contact: m23.queries@nzta.govt.nz
  • Amendments: April 2022
  • Also known as: NZTA M23

Specifications and notes for road safety barrier systems

Title Date added
M23 Road safety barrier systems - specification and guidelines [PDF, 1.1 MB] April 2022
M23 Appendix A: Permanent road safety barrier systems [PDF, 3.9 MB] July 2023
M23 Appendix B: Bridge barrier systems [PDF, 4.8 MB] May 2022
M23 Appendix C: Temporary road safety barrier systems [PDF, 3 MB] September 2023
M23 Appendix D: Specification for slip formed concrete barrier systems
[PDF, 349 KB]
April 2022
M23 Appendix E: Road safety hardware design statements [PDF, 465 KB] April 2022

M23 Appendix F: Temporary road safety hardware & devices (working draft) [PDF, 3.4 MB]
Note: this is a working draft release. For feedback and queries, email m23.queries@nzta.govt.nz

December 2022

Interim acceptances for road safety hardware

The following road safety hardware products have been granted interim acceptance pending inclusion in the appropriate Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency specification or guidance documentation (as appropriate).

Product Supplier Type Expiry Date
Kiwisafer™ Culvert End Treatment Saferoads International Drainage n/a
Spigoted Streetlight Column Outreach Steelgal Road Lighting
(Specification M26)
n/a

For further information on any of the above products, email m23.queries@nzta.govt.nz

Hardware not accepted within M23

Prior to use of road safety barrier hardware not listed as accepted in M23 a submission must be made to the Waka Kotahi Programme and Standards Lead Safety Advisor for review and acceptance on a project or site-specific basis. The submission must include evidence of the performance capabilities of the proposed hardware (eg crash test results to MASH protocol), an explanation of why use of the product is proposed and an assessment of the risks compared to use of accepted hardware. Please allow at least 10 working days for assessment of a submission.

Notifications

Title Date
Supply of MASH road safety hardware – July 2021 [PDF, 41 KB] 29 June 2021
MASH - Full adoption notification of implementation [PDF, 92 KB] 16 April 2019
Temporary concrete barrier system acceptance (2) [PDF, 61 KB] 5 March 2015
Temporary concrete barrier system acceptance [PDF, 60 KB] 20 February 2015
Temporary barrier connections – Notice of inappropriate practices [PDF, 661 KB] 11 February 2014
Colour of wire rope safety barrier posts [PDF, 63 KB] 18 July 2013
MASH-1 - Discontinuation of 3-cable wire rope barrier systems [PDF, 63 KB] 31 October 2012
MASH-1 - Implementation [PDF, 61 KB] 15 October 2012
MASH-1 - Notification of adoption [PDF, 65 KB] 18 September 2012
M23 terminal grading plan [PDF, 58 KB] 31 May 2017

List of individuals with Waka Kotahi Road Safety Barrier qualifications

Not all submitted road safety barrier assessments have been marked and therefore this list cannot be considered comprehensive. We will be updating this list regularly however if you have queries about the marking status of your assessment get in touch with the Technical Training and Education Senior Advisor

Title Date
List of individuals with Waka Kotahi Road Safety Barrier qualifications [PDF, 502 KB] 5 November 2020

Road safety barrier training in New Zealand

Interim update to training requirements as of 9 November 2023

The following guidance updates and replaces the current requirement for training in Section 8.1 of Waka Kotahi M23 and applies with immediate effect.

All persons undertaking the design (as Installation Designer), review and audit and inspection (as Peer Reviewer) or inspection and maintenance (as System Installer) of permanent and temporary road safety hardware system installations on the state highway network should have attended and passed the appropriate Waka Kotahi endorsed course, or an accepted alternative, within the five years prior to commencing the activity. Installation Designers, Peer Reviewers and maintainers (as System Installers) who have attended endorsed training should maintain a record of applicable project work demonstrating currency and competency, for example suitable experience on a minimum of five safety barrier projects with the previous five year period. Otherwise, repetition of the recommended training may be required.

All road safety hardware designs should be subject to a quality control process, such as internal check and review by a suitably experienced practitioner.

System Installers undertaking installation of new road safety hardware, who have not attended and passed a Waka Kotahi endorsed course in the previous three years as at Jan 1st 2025 must attend Austroads Safety Hardware Training and Accreditation Scheme (ASHTAS) training prior to undertaking installation works on the state highway network. System Installers must maintain currency as required by the ASHTAS initiative.

Training workshops

List of current road safety barrier training workshops

For more information on these workshops, contact the Technical Training and Education Senior Advisor