Functional Part: Barrier

Name

Barrier

Identifier

fp_barrier

Overview

This functional part defines the requirements for modeling and exchanging traffic barrier information in a highway BIM environment. Traffic barriers are critical safety features designed to contain and redirect errant vehicles, preventing them from leaving the roadway, crossing into opposing traffic, or striking roadside hazards. This functional part addresses concrete rigid barriers commonly used in highway projects, including bridge barriers, median barriers, and roadside barriers.

The functional part supports multiple use cases across the project lifecycle:

  • Design coordination: Integration of barrier geometry with roadway design, bridge structures, and drainage systems
  • Safety analysis: Verification of barrier placement, type selection, and MASH test level compliance
  • Quantity takeoff: Automated calculation of barrier lengths, areas, and volumes for cost estimation
  • Construction planning: Generation of construction layout data including stationing, offsets, and coordinates
  • Asset management: Long-term tracking of barrier assets with spatial references for inspection and maintenance

This functional part leverages IFC schema extensions for infrastructure, particularly IfcCivilElement for representing linear transportation features with associated property sets for barrier-specific attributes.

Results

Purpose

The purpose of this functional part is to standardize the exchange of traffic barrier information between BIM authoring tools, analysis software, and asset management systems. By providing a consistent data structure, this functional part enables seamless data exchange between design disciplines, automated clash detection and clearance verification, integration with safety analysis tools for barrier adequacy evaluation, quantity extraction for cost estimation and contractor bidding, construction layout data generation for field staking, and asset data handover to maintenance and operations systems.

Concepts

Information Needed Entity/Pset/Functional Part MAN REC OPT NOT
Unique identifier for barrier element IfcCivilElement.GlobalId IfcGloballyUniqueId X      
Object identification code Pset_Identification.ObjectID IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
Feature designation code Pset_Identification.FeatureID IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel   X    
Feature description text Pset_Identification.FeatureDescription IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcText   X    
Survey feature code Pset_Identification.SurveyFeatureCode IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel   X    
Referenced alignment identifier Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.AlignmentIDReference IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
Referenced corridor identifier Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.CorridorIDReference IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
Begin station value Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.StationBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure X      
Begin station offset Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.StationOffsetBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure X      
End station value Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.StationEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure X      
End station offset Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.StationOffsetEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure X      
Reference point location Pset_AlignmentDataLinear.ReferencePointLocation IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
State plane northing coordinate at begin Pset_StatePlaneCoordinatesLinear.NorthingBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure   X    
State plane easting coordinate at begin Pset_StatePlaneCoordinatesLinear.EastingBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure   X    
State plane northing coordinate at end Pset_StatePlaneCoordinatesLinear.NorthingEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure   X    
State plane easting coordinate at end Pset_StatePlaneCoordinatesLinear.EastingEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure   X    
LRS postmile begin value Pset_LRSDataLinear.PostmileBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure     X  
LRS postmile end value Pset_LRSDataLinear.PostmileEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure     X  
LRS route identifier Pset_LRSDataLinear.LRSRouteID IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel     X  
GPS latitude at begin Pset_GPSCoordinatesLinear.LatitudeBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcReal     X  
GPS longitude at begin Pset_GPSCoordinatesLinear.LongitudeBegin IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcReal     X  
GPS latitude at end Pset_GPSCoordinatesLinear.LatitudeEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcReal     X  
GPS longitude at end Pset_GPSCoordinatesLinear.LongitudeEnd IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcReal     X  
GPS control point reference Pset_GPSCoordinatesLinear.GPSControlPoints IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcText     X  
Barrier type designation Pset_BarrierFeatures.BarrierType IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
MASH test level rating Pset_BarrierFeatures.BarrierTestLevel IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel X      
Barrier width dimension Pset_BarrierLayout.BarrierWidth IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcPositiveLengthMeasure X      
Barrier height dimension Pset_BarrierLayout.BarrierHeight IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcPositiveLengthMeasure X      
Transition start station Pset_BarrierLayout.TransitionStartStation IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLengthMeasure   X    
Transition start section designation Pset_BarrierLayout.TransitionStartSection IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel   X    
Transition end section designation Pset_BarrierLayout.TransitionEndSection IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel   X    
Length of transition Pset_BarrierLayout.LengthOfTransition IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcPositiveLengthMeasure   X    
Joint type specification Pset_Joint.JointType IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel   X    
Maximum joint spacing interval Pset_Joint.MaximumJointInterval IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcPositiveLengthMeasure   X    
Reinforcement requirement indicator Pset_Reinforcement.ReinforcementRequired IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcBoolean   X    
Pay item code Pset_PayItemInformation.PayItemCode IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel     X  
Pay item description Pset_PayItemInformation.PayItemDescription IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcText     X  
Unit of measure Pset_PayItemInformation.UnitOfMeasure IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcLabel     X  
Quantity value Pset_PayItemInformation.Quantity IfcPropertySingleValue::IfcReal     X  

Examples

Example 1: Median Barrier - Design Phase

Use Case: Exchange median barrier information from roadway design software to structural analysis tool for bridge barrier connection coordination.

Scenario: A highway project includes a concrete F-shape median barrier that transitions to a bridge barrier. The roadway designer has modeled the barrier in civil design software and needs to share the barrier geometry, location, and specifications with the bridge structural engineer.

Data Flow:

  1. Roadway designer creates barrier in civil design software (e.g., OpenRoads, Civil 3D)
  2. Barrier data exported to IFC format using this functional part specification
  3. Structural engineer imports IFC file into bridge design software
  4. Bridge software reads barrier geometry, station limits, and type information
  5. Structural engineer designs bridge barrier transition to match median barrier

Key Information Exchanged:

  • Barrier type: “F-Shape Median Barrier”
  • MASH test level: “TL-4”
  • Station begin: 125+00
  • Station end: 138+75
  • Transition start station: 137+50
  • Transition start section: “F-Shape Barrier”
  • Transition end section: “Bridge Rail Type BR-1”
  • Barrier height: 2.67 feet (32 inches)
  • Barrier width: 1.33 feet (16 inches)

Example 2: Roadside Barrier - Construction Phase

Use Case: Generate construction layout data for field staking of roadside barriers.

Scenario: A contractor needs to stake out the location of roadside single-slope barriers along a rural highway. The project team exports barrier data from the BIM model to provide the survey crew with station/offset coordinates and state plane coordinates for field layout.

Data Flow:

  1. Design team exports IFC file containing barrier elements with spatial references
  2. Construction management software imports IFC and extracts barrier location data
  3. Survey software reads barrier station/offset and state plane coordinates
  4. Field crew uses total station or GPS equipment to stake barrier locations
  5. As-built data collected and compared against design coordinates

Key Information Exchanged:

  • Object ID: “RSB-0001”
  • Alignment ID: “US-52-NB”
  • Station begin: 55+00, Offset: 22.0’ RT
  • Station end: 68+50, Offset: 22.0’ RT
  • Northing begin: 2,125,487.32 feet
  • Easting begin: 1,487,925.18 feet
  • Northing end: 2,126,834.55 feet
  • Easting end: 1,488,102.47 feet
  • GPS Latitude begin: 36.123456°
  • GPS Longitude begin: -79.876543°
  • Barrier type: “Single-Slope Barrier”
  • Control point reference: “Benchmark BM-22 (Elev: 842.33’ NAVD88)”

Example 3: Asset Management Handover

Use Case: Transfer as-built barrier asset data to transportation agency asset management system.

Scenario: Upon project completion, the contractor delivers as-built IFC models containing barrier assets. The transportation agency imports this data into their GIS-based asset management system for long-term maintenance tracking and inspection scheduling.

Data Flow:

  1. Contractor generates as-built IFC model with surveyed barrier locations
  2. Agency imports IFC file into asset management system
  3. System extracts barrier identification, location (LRS-based), type, and specifications
  4. Barrier assets registered in agency database with unique IDs
  5. Agency schedules future inspections based on barrier type and installation date

Key Information Exchanged:

  • Object ID: “STATE-BAR-2025-0847”
  • Feature ID: “I-95-NB-Median-Barrier-Segment-12”
  • Postmile begin: 125.75
  • Postmile end: 127.25
  • LRS Route ID: “I-95-NB”
  • Barrier type: “New Jersey Profile”
  • MASH test level: “TL-5”
  • Installation date: 2025-10-15
  • Specification reference: “https://dot.state.gov/specs/barriers/NJ-profile-TL5.pdf”
  • Pay item code: “606-10-01”
  • Pay item description: “Concrete Traffic Barrier, Type NJ”