BRIFEN Main

Highway 1 - Chilliwack Impact

At 4:20 pm, on June 28th, 2007 a Mazda MPV swerved off Highway 1 in Chilliwack and headed for the center median. The driver was certain that she was going to cross over the median and crash into an oncoming vehicle. The chances were very good for a head-on collision, as it was rush hour. Instead, the Mazda knocked over 6 posts of the newly installed Brifen Cable Barrier and came to a controlled stop in the median only 50 meters from the impact. The driver was not injured.
Based on the dozens of crash tests performed by Brifen, the speed of the vehicle was estimated to be between 95-100 km/h at impact.

The repair took 30 minutes in all, a little long for this many posts, but Brifen Canada was training the maintenance contractor on this impact. The barrier was struck 7 days later and it took 2 men only 15 minutes to replace 6 posts.

Highway 1 - Chilliwack Installation

Brifen Canada has completed its first major installation in Canada. The BC Ministry of Transportation contracted Brifen Canada to install 3 kilometers of the Brifen Cable Barrier on Highway 1 in Chilliwack. This is the first high tension cable barrier on the Trans Canada Highway.
This stretch of the Trans Canada Highway has been noted for devastating crossover crashes. The median is only 6 meters wide and has a 1:4 slope. This area is also prone to blowing snow in the winter. Brifen was the only solution.

The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation called for the installation of a 4 cable NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 4 accepted barrier. Brifen used its standard 3.2 meter post spacing, except in the corner, where we tightened the spacing to 2.4 meters. The posts were set in sockets for easy repair.

Mainroad Contracting was hired to install the cable barrier and handle the traffic control. With their expertise the project was installed without problem.

Even before the final handover to the Ministry of Transportation, the barrier sustained 2 impacts, preventing deadly head-on collisions. In each instance, only six posts were knocked over with the deflection of the cables under 1.1 meters. Both vehicles came to a controlled stop within the median, sustaining only minimal damage. There were no injuries. Brifen has paid for itself in less than a week.