Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 • Barrier wall installed on Main Street
Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 edition of the Lassen County Times.
Almost a year after a commercial truck crashed into the backside of the Nevada Arms Apartments, a barrier wall has been constructed on Highway 36 — Main Street — in Uptown Susanville.
A 330-foot steel galvanized barrier wall was installed on Highway 36 in Uptown Susanville on Tuesday, Aug. 12. The wall is designed to redirect vehicles back into the line of traffic upon impact.Last week, Miller’s Custom Works Inc installed a galvanized steel barrier wall, which stretches from Roop Street and curves around Main Street.
Caltrans oversaw the project. Barrier Systems Inc. supplied the wall and according to Barrier Systems National Product Manager Sam Arnold, the wall is designed to smoothly redirect vehicles back into the line of traffic upon impact, with less occupant risk.
The wall is more crash-friendly as opposed to a temporary concrete barrier because Arnold said if a vehicle were to hit a concrete wall, it could flip over the barrier and into oncoming traffic.
Al Martinez and Ted Turner of Miller’s Custom Works, Inc. work on securing anchors for the steel barrier wall installed in Uptown Susanville on Highway 36.“(The wall) is a wonderful progressive project for Caltrans and the residents of Susanville,” Arnold said.
He said a barrier wall stopped a double trailer truck from going into oncoming traffic on Interstate 5 near Redding.
Barrier Systems Inc. is the United States licensee of the barrier guard for Highway Care in England.
With the construction of the barrier wall, the westbound lane on Highway 36 has become a one-lane road and has eliminated the ability for drivers to turn left onto Main Street from Pine Street.
Susanville Police Department officer Cindy Owen heads into the apartment in the Nevada Arms Apartment Building after a commercial slammed into the building. The truck lost control coming around the curve into Uptown on Highway 36.Making the Town Hill grade safer has been a long-time discussion for the Lassen County Transportation Commission, but became a more urgent topic last year after a 1998 Kenworth commercial truck carrying two trailers of gravel down Highway 36 toward Uptown Susanville slammed into the backside of the Nevada Arms Apartments on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Here is a bigger picture of where the truck went into a yard behind the back parking lot of Uptown CinemasThe wall is one of several temporary solutions. A mandatory 35 mile per hour speed limit has also been put in place for trucks at the top of the grade.
Other ideas include a relief route to redirect truck from having to drive through town.
