1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assemblies for channeling streetlight wiring and supporting glarefoil blades, and more particularly to a composite C-shaped channel structure.
2. The Background Art
Glare screens, glarefoils and the like have found widespread acceptance in the road construction industry for reducing the headlight glare associated with two-way traffic. Glarefoils are typically mounted on the top of median highway barriers, such as the well known New Jersey barrier. Glarefoils and glare screens are light-deflecting bodies spaced and angled so as to deflect headlight glare produced by vehicles traveling in an opposing traffic lane.
Electric street lamps are also widely used in conjunction with median barriers and are often mounted directly on or beside the barrier. Electrical wiring to power the lamps is extended along the median barrier. The limited amount of space available on and around the median barriers has prompted creative solutions to the need to house and protect the electrical wiring and to provide stabile structural support for the glare screens and glarefoils.
Glarefoil blades are typically secured to a common steel support plate which is then secured to the top of the median barrier. When street lamps are involved, it is known to lay the electrical street lamp wiring along the top of the median barrier and cover it with a sturdy steel casing to house and protect the wiring. The support plate carrying the glarefoil blades is attached on top of the metal casing to economize the limited amount of available space.
The prior art methods for supporting the glarefoils and housing the electrical street lamp wiring are characterized by a number of disadvantages. Light duty cranes are required on the job site to place and set the steel casing, because it is so heavy. The steel protective casing has the potential to penetrate a vehicle or person if dislodged in an accident, because of its weight and stiffness. An accident or a loose electrical connection could cause the steel casing to operate as a dangerous conductor, thereby increasing the liability of the contractor and the associated Department of Transportation in the event of an electrical shock. Further, the steps involved in installing both the steel casing and the glarefoil support plate render the installation process laborious and time consuming. Of current interest is a protective support structure for glarefoils and street lamp wiring which is simple in design and easy to install accurately.