Trucking 101 : What is a Jersey Barrier?

A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing the crossover case of a head-on collision. Jersey barriers are also used to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians during highway construction, as well as temporary and semi-permanent protections against landborne attack such as suicide vehicle bombs.

The Jersey barrier, also called New Jersey wall, was developed at the Stevens Institute of Technology in the 1950s (introduced in current form in 1959),^[1] New Jersey, United States, under the direction of the New Jersey State Highway Department to divide multiple lanes on a highway.