Road closure gates are used to close certain highways when driving conditions become too
hazardous under severe winter weather conditions. The Wyoming Department of
Transportation (WYDOT) developed a new road closure gate design that had not been crash
tested to determine whether it would meet nationally recognized safety standards. WYDOT
sponsored a study at the Texas Transportation Institute to crash test and evaluate the new
road closure gate design and, as appropriate, to improve the design from the standpoints of …

An existing road closure gate was crash tested for compliance with standards set forth by the
National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350. Modifications were
necessary for meeting these specifications. Changes to the design included: replacing the
existing 5.5 m high support pole structure with a standard 8.8 m high luminaire support pole
structure with a 2.4 m mast arm and a light standard, use a 4-bolt slip base breakaway
design, redesign of the gate arm attachment and lift mechanism, and replacing the manual …