New high-speed corridors to get boundary wall to prevent cattle menace

The Centre has prescribed a one-metre high wall along the outer edge of high-speed corridors to prevent “unauthorised access and entry of stray cattle” in its first-ever guidelines that standardise design and development of such national highways.

This is the first time the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has prescribed standardised technical and safety provisions for high speed corridors. 

The guidelines will apply to all upcoming four to six-lane greenfield and brownfield high-speed access-controlled national highways.

The length of operational access-controlled high speed corridors is currently at 3,052 km.

Indian Railways too has fenced stretches to prevent cattle menace, including a metal barrier fencing along the 623-km Mumbai- Ahmedabad train route.

Collapsible barriers

The NHAI guidelines recommend a slew of other measures to ensure road safety, including prohibit openings in median walls on access-controlled highways. However, collapsible barriers at a distance of 5 km for emergency and maintenance vehicles can be allowed. Alternatively, modular concrete or plastic wall used to separate lanes of traffic and prevent head-on crashes are also allowed. These are known as jersey barriers. 

Where there are bridges, tunnels and overpasses, the NHAI says there should be a median wall with metal crash barriers on top. Metal barriers should also be provided at approaches to these structures.

Metal crash barriers should also be provided atop the median wall on bridges, tunnels and overpasses, the guidelines state.

Road merging points should have crash cushions, which have multiple segments that crumple into each other and reduce impact.

They introduce more detailed signage requirements, including advance direction signs at 5 km, 2 km, 1 km and 500 metres before exits, depending on the sign configuration.