VDOT Limited Scope Guardrail Terminal Maintenance Inspection Program

With the goal of increasing public safety, VDOT’s Central Office Traffic Operations Division developed a new Limited Scope Guardrail Terminal Maintenance Inspection Program in 2023. Our statewide presence provided VDOT with a team that could provide consistent services across the Commonwealth.

The Challenge

Overall, hundreds of thousands of guardrail terminals required inventory and inspection, and the nature of the project required inspectors to conduct work along roadways – including busy highway corridors – putting them in harm’s way of vehicular traffic. Because safety was of paramount concern, all work was carefully coordinated between consultant and VDOT districts, including requesting mobile shoulder closures when needed for interstate routes.

To assist VDOT in obtaining a comprehensive and updated inventory of the guardrails, along with condition assessments of the guardrail terminals, WSSI staff first needed to locate them along the roads. Once we located and inventoried the guardrails, we then assessed the hardware of the terminals and rated the condition of the guardrails, along with photo documentation. Our staff conducted these inspections while maintaining strict adherence to safety protocols due to the hazardous work environment along the roadside.

Our Solution

WSSI staff began by inspecting guardrail terminals on Interstates I-66, I-495, I-395, I-95 in the Northern Virginia district. We then worked through primary roads in Northern Virginia and in the Lynchburg, Culpeper, and Hampton Roads districts. In summer 2024, WSSI staff began inspecting guardrail terminals on secondary roads in Northern Virginia, Culpeper, Lynchburg, Salem, Richmond, and Hampton Roads districts.

The project required daily coordination among WSSI’s two-person inspection teams and the project manager. Four to six teams regularly deployed for inspections statewide, and all of their routes required tracking and coordination. In addition, the WSSI project manager coordinated directly with the VDOT districts to let them know where we were working, and in some cases, also coordinated via Lane Closure Advisory Management System (LCAMS) and VA Traffic for lane closures (in the Northern Virginia district). Inclement weather added further complications, as work could not be performed when visibility of inspectors was reduced. Adjusting work based on weather conditions statewide for multiple teams required additional coordination and tracking.

Data was collected using mobile devices using apps developed by VDOT on field maps. Offline maps were used in rural areas with limited connectivity, allowing crews to continue working with the ability to upload data later. WSSI staff had to undergo multiple trainings for the work, including Basic Workzone Training through VDOT, as well as guardrail training (Guardrail Inspection Training (GRIT)), and passing background checks due to the security involved in working through the VDOT database.

WSSI’s work was performed as a subconsultant under the VDOT Statewide Maintenance Consultant Services contract. As of December 2022, our staff have conducted inspections for 19,800 terminals and are tasked with performing these inspections across 15 counties in six VDOT districts.

Awards

• The project was awarded VDOT Commissioner’s Award for Outstanding Achievement (2024)