State’s first mechanical runaway truck ramp opens in El Paso

A new safety feature on Loop 375 (Transmountain Road) is now open to the public. The mechanical runaway truck ramp is the first of its kind installed in El Paso and in Texas. The addition provides a safety option for vehicles that lose their brakes closer to I-10 via the left lane of Loop 375, westbound.

“Unlike other runaway truck ramps on Transmountain, this truck arresting system was constructed in the median due to the narrow footprint available at that location,” said TxDOT El Paso District Engineer Tomas Trevino. “It detains vehicles in tight roadway geometry such as the area closer to IH10.”

Project designers say ramps like these exist in Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada in the United States. They also exist in France and Canada and are typically constructed on mountainsides making this system unique.

“This is probably the most unique trap that we’ve designed,” said Beecen, Brackin and Associates Designer Michael Beecen. “First, it being the first mechanical system installed in Texas, but it is in a median and we have never done a median application. This is the first of its kind in the nation.”

The mechanical system is designed to safely stop a 90,000-pound truck traveling 90 miles an hour using a series of eight energy absorbing net stations bolted into reinforced concrete walls.

Though the mechanical runaway ramp system is now open for use, crews still need to install permanent advance signing for drivers. In the meantime, Portable Changeable Message Signs (PCMS) will be placed temporarily, in advance of the arresting system to inform motorists.

Drivers who need to use the system are encouraged to stay centered on the ramp. TxDOT El Paso teams across sections gathered on site in April to learn more about the system and receive training on maintenance. Reset time after a typical impact can be as short as four hours.

“We’ve had an excellent in-service record for this system, and many lives have been saved where drivers have lost their brakes,” added Beecen. “As a design engineer in roadside safety there’s nothing more that I could ask for than to have a system that works and that saves lives.”

While this is the first mechanical ramp system on Transmountain, it will be the fourth runaway ramp on the roadway. The roadway has three existing gravel truck runaway ramps, one westbound and two eastbound. Other assistance does exist for trucks. Enhanced permanent signage provides additional warning of existing truck runaway ramps on both directions and Dynamic Message Sign messages were developed to advise trucks to use lower gear due to the steep grades. Additional signing, across the mountain, was also installed to provide advance warning of the steep grades ahead.