247.291a Barrier requirements; closure of freeways or bridges; exception.

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Sec. 1a.

(1)Except as otherwise provided in subsections

(2)and (3), if the state transportation department closes any freeway or portion of freeway under its jurisdiction for construction, improvement, or repair of that freeway, a portion of freeway, or a bridge located upon that freeway or portion of freeway, both of the following apply:

(a)If the freeway is closed completely to traffic, it must be closed using concrete barriers or equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers. Ramp access to the freeway may be closed with barricades, concrete barriers, or other equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers to maintain access for construction traffic and emergency services.

(b)If the freeway is not closed completely to traffic and a portion of the freeway is closed at any time between a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise for work scheduled to be done at that time in a contract between a contractor and the state transportation department, concrete barriers or equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers must separate any road workers who are performing work from traffic.

(2)This section does not apply if the freeway or portion of freeway described in subsection

(1)is closed for not more than 3 days for an emergency repair, utility crossing, maintenance, or other short-duration operation.

(3)The state transportation department may exercise its engineering judgment in designing and placing concrete barriers or equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers and associated traffic control devices for each closure of a freeway or portion of freeway to account for site-specific conditions, including, but not limited to, roadway grade, equipment malfunctions, emergency service, law enforcement needs, crash history, or work duration. If the engineering judgment determines that the use of concrete barriers would cause additional risks for road users, additional safety measures to protect road workers must be included in the contract between the contractor and the state transportation department.

History: Add. 2023, Act 164 , Imd. Eff. Oct. 19, 2023