Case Study: Desert Zoneguard Project Provides Cost Savings For Contractor & State

When positive protection is required for highway maintenance, it typically comes in the form of temporary barrier. Traditionally speaking, a landscaping company is not the typical end user that comes to mind. However, at Pacific Restoration Group, Inc. based in Perris, California, temporary barrier is a requirement for some highway landscaping work that they complete. Summer 2020 brought PRG, Inc. a project that required trimming down a substantial amount of shrubbery spanning the Route 8 median through the city of El Centro. The project required approximately 3,000 linear feet (LF) of temporary barrier. Historically, they would have used K-Rail (the most widely used concrete barrier in the state of California). Prior to being able to make that decision, D&M Traffic Services, Hill & Smith, Inc.’s distributor in the state, approached PRG, Inc., and proposed Zoneguard^® temporary steel barrier instead of K-Rail. After looking at the sheer difference in trucking (750 LF of Zoneguard^® per truck compared to 150 LF of K-Rail), PRG, Inc. was interested. 

Danny Richards, Vice President, Operations Manager at PRG, Inc., said, “Some of the most expensive aspects of these projects out here in the deserts of California is trucking the material to the job site. It really was a no brainer for us. The rental rates were very competitive, and we went from needing 19 trucks [of K-Rail] to only needing 4 trucks [of Zoneguard^®]. That gave us the ability to submit a cost saving (value engineering) credit to Caltrans, which saved us and the State money.”

This project finished ahead of schedule, and it proved that steel barrier has several advantages. For jobs where the project locations are in remote areas, when you’re looking to rent for a short period of time, or when anchoring is required, Zoneguard^® is a superior option. And, using an alternatively approved innovative product such as Zoneguard^®  steel barrier can be an ideal way to save money for your company – and the state.