Do bridge railings on reconstructed bridges off the NHS need to meet NCHRP Report 350 criteria?
A. In general, FHWA standards apply to projects on the NHS. State transportation agencies may establish different standards for non-NHS projects if desired and may elect to use roadside hardware that has not been successfully tested to NCHRP Report 350 guidelines. Nonetheless, the FHWA strongly recommends the use of crash-worthy devices on all public facilities where run-off-the-road crashes may occur. Regarding the design of new railing standards for both “on and off” NHS routes, LRFD Section 13 should apply to all new bridges and rehabilitated bridge projects where railing replacement is required. However, repair or retrofit to the existing railing system that have been found acceptable under the previous crash testing and acceptance criteria (such as NCHRP Report 230, the 1989 AASHTO Guide Specifications for Bridge Railings or equivalent) do not require further testing to the NCHRP 350 requirements at the owner’s discretion. Further support for this position can be referenced to the
