After a development period of 18 months, the very first sign gantry of this type was installed in spring of 2006 – manufactured by Europoles. It consists of two concrete columns that support a concrete transverse girder, as well as the traffic signs mounted to the girder in the factory. The centrifugal process to which the concrete is subjected densely compacts the concrete, with the interiors of the precast concrete components remaining hollow.
Pfleiderer Europoles has presently completed assembly of additional sign gantries, and is about to complete production of other models. Their popularity is not without good reason, since concrete offers a number of appealing benefits:
Savings in weight as a result of the hollow interiors made possible by the centrifugal production process
No possibility for corrosion as a result of the highly dense concrete surface
Especially great resistance to frost and de-icing salt (as verified by the CDF Test = Capillary suction of De-icing solution and Freeze thaw test)
Minimal maintenance costs
Diminished vibration behaviour owing to the use of special synthetic structural supports, which in turn means longer life cycles of the electronic devices mounted on the gantry
Extremely fast assembly onsite, with necessity of blocking the spanned motorway lanes of only 10 to 15 minutes.
The sign gantry is completely pre-assembled in the factory (shown here: static traffic sign).
On-site assembly of this sign gantry, with variable traffic signals, took only a few minutes.
