AASHTO Journal - Arkansas DOT Testing New Guardrail Safety System

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) recently began pilot testing a new guardrail safety system at the on-ramp from Highway 35 north – also known as Carpenter Road – to the I-30 eastbound frontage road in Benton in Saline County.

[Above photo by Arkansas DOT]

The agency said that Safety Rolling Barriers or SRBs are guardrails that use plastic rollers designed to absorb the energy of an impact and distribute it more evenly than common steel barriers. The rotating motion of the barrier also helps to guide the vehicle along the road before bringing it to a stop, ARDOT noted.

“Our agency is committed to enhancing safety and embracing modern technologies,” explained Jared Wiley, ARDOT’s director, in a statement – adding that this marks the first time this kind of SRB has been installed on a state-owned roadway in Arkansas.

“This pilot installation of an emerging technology offers us a chance to check both of those boxes,” he said. “Depending on the outcome of this test, rolling barriers could become another tool in our toolbox as we strive to continually improve highway safety for all users.”

ARDOT plans to monitor the system for approximately one year at the Saline County location to evaluate its performance and determine whether SRBs should be deployed at additional locations where guardrails are currently in use.

Across the country, state departments of transportation are deploying a wide range of technologies to improve roadway safety.

In December 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation launched a $1 million Municipal Speed Feedback Signage Program, designed to help local communities manage vehicle speeds and enhance roadway safety – particularly in speed transition zones where posted limits change.

The program, administered cooperatively by MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning and Highway Division, will provide municipalities with solar-powered and Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices or MUTCD-compliant speed feedback signs, either post-mounted or portable trailer-mounted, at no capital cost to local governments.