Median Barrier

• Reduces or eliminates short-cut and cut-through traffic
• When applied consistently to an area, reduces traffic speeds
• Can green and beautify the streetscape with trees and/or vegetation, improving environmental quality and potentially incorporating stormwater source controls
• Enhances pedestrian safety by discouraging dangerous mid-block crossing
• Enhances safety at the intersections and curb cuts by reducing potential vehicle movements and conflicts, particularly left turns
• Reduces risk of vehicle head-on collisions
• Reduces risk of motorists running a red light or stop sign when approaching from side street
• Calms traffic on side street by requiring turns, and on the major street by narrowing the roadway
• Enhances pedestrian safety and accessibility by reducing crossing distances and providing refuge for pedestrians to cross the road in stages

• May impact street drainage or require catch basin relocation
• May impact underground utilities
• Emergency vehicle access needs must be accommodated
• Landscaping (excluding street trees) or stormwater source controls require a partner for ongoing maintenance, including executing a maintenance agreement
• If there is a maintenance partner, design should consider the inclusion of irrigation system for long term maintenance
• If outfitted to capture stormwater, careful consideration must be given to design, overflow control, and plant species
   

• Consider on local streets with speeding or cut-through/ short-cutting problems
• One-way or two-way local streets at their intersections with two-way collector or arterial roadways
• Consider on wide arterial and collector streets with significant and/or complex turning conflicts resulting from the presence of multiple curb cuts
   

Review additional design guidance for Raised Medians

• Design median barriers to impact motor vehicle movement but not bike movement; utilize bike channels or similar design strategies to allow passage by cyclists
• Include planted areas and stormwater source controls within median barriers wherever possible when a maintenance partner is identified
• Include street trees, plantings, and unpaved or permeable surfaces wherever safe and feasible, using structural soil where appropriate. Review Tree Beds, Roadway Plantings, and Pre-Cast Porous Concrete Panels
• If work includes tree planting, consider the location of utility infrastructure, including DEP sewers and water mains
• Design any planted areas within median barrier so as to capture stormwater according to current standards