Water Filled Traffic Barriers
HERMEQ water filled traffic barriers are plastic barriers that separate traffic, pedestrians and work areas. They are light to move empty and take their working weight when filled with water on site. They are used on highways, construction zones and event perimeters.
The shells are molded in HDPE or UV-stabilized polyethylene, filled weights run up to 1,323 lb, and selected models are crash tested at 25 mph and 50 mph. The range covers anti-trip pedestrian separators, full-length water filled jersey barriers, crash-tested walls and low track barriers, with mesh fence extensions, gates and fence bases to complete a run.
Types of water filled traffic barriers
Height and the job settle most of the choice: low separators and Evo units for pedestrian edges, full-length barriers for lane separation and long perimeters, and low track barriers for circuits.
Anti-trip pedestrian separators
Separators are the low, short units that line a sidewalk closure, a walkway diversion or a trench edge where people pass within arm's reach of the barrier, and their anti-trip profile keeps feet from catching on the base. The anti-trip water filled separator stacks for transport and takes a mesh panel on top when the line has to become a fence. For roadside excavation work that needs more ballast in a low unit, the low-profile water fill traffic barrier carries a heavier fill and has fork entry for moving it on site. The heavy duty pedestrian barrier suits school sites, transport interchanges and other busy walking routes, and its joints turn 90 degrees for cornered paths.
Evo modular barriers
The Evo system is a family of interlocking units in three lengths and two heights that join into one continuous line, so a run can be built to fit a tight urban site closely. Evo modular barriers are light enough for one or two people to place and are filled once in position.
Full-length water filled jersey barriers
Barriers of around 6.5 ft are what most buyers mean by water filled jersey barriers or plastic water filled barriers, and they cover a perimeter or a lane separation with fewer joints to set and fewer units to fill. The 6.5 ft water filled traffic barrier is the lightest of the group to handle empty and takes a mesh extension for a full-height wall. The RB2000 water filled barrier and the GB2 water filled barrier carry far more ballast, which suits exposed roadsides and perimeters that stay in place for months. The Bison heavy duty water filled barrier is in the same weight class, with a pivot at each joint for squared corners and closed loops. For long runs on roadside and event work, the Euro barrier is an oversized unit for extended perimeter coverage.
Self-weighted barriers
A self-weighted traffic barrier is stable without ballast, so there is no water to supply on arrival or to drain at the end of the job. The units link by hand without tools and suit short urban roadwork, narrow medians and crowd lines at venues, where speed of setup comes first.
Track barriers for race circuits and indoor tracks
The RB track barriers are low units with connectors that lock each section to the next while letting the run curve, so a line can follow bends and S-shapes without gaps. The RB500 track barrier is the low-profile unit for indoor tracks, events and industrial sites. The impact-resistant motorsport track barriers are built for race circuits, where they replace tire walls or wooden fencing, and like the rest of the series they are filled for weight once in place.
Crash tested or delineation water filled barriers
Most barriers in the range are delineation and channelizing barriers: they mark, separate and guide traffic and pedestrians around a work area, and they are not tested for vehicle impact. Crash-tested walls have been tested against a vehicle striking the run, and they belong wherever live traffic passes close to workers, an open excavation or the public.
Filled weight alone does not make a barrier crash rated. Several delineation units in the range weigh more when full than the 25 mph wall, yet only three models carry a crash test, so a job with live traffic needs one of those three whatever the weight of the alternatives.
The 25 mph crash tested water filled barrier, known as the City Wall, suits urban streets, site entrances and compounds where traffic moves slowly. For faster roads, highway repairs and lane shifts, the RB22 water filled crash barrier is tested at 50 mph and joins with steel pins, with angle sections for 90 degree corners and its own gates and fence extension kits. The Defender50 crash barrier is also tested at 50 mph and has been tested with fence panels fitted on top, which matters where a crash-rated run must also be a full-height fence. Where a specification calls for a rigid barrier, concrete barriers do that work, and the City Wall is used alongside concrete runs where more resistance is required.
Water filled construction barriers for road work and events
Road work zones and lane closures
A continuous barrier line guides drivers more clearly than cones or drums with gaps between them, and full-length units close a lane with fewer joints to set. The lighter devices used on the approach are in the traffic barricades range.
Excavations and utility work
The anti-trip separator has a concave base that holds trench spoil against the barrier, which keeps it off the walkway and adds resistance to wind. Units that turn tight angles let a crew wrap a pit, a manhole or a piece of equipment without leaving gaps.
Construction site and compound perimeters
Perimeters stay in place for weeks or months, so wind exposure and security count for more than speed of setup. Heavy full-length barriers with a mesh fence extension build a full-height wall around a compound.
Events and crowd segregation
Event barriers go up and come down in a short window in front of the public, so stackable units that link quickly, in red, white or mixed colors, suit festivals, marshalling areas and road closures. Water filled barriers separate crowds from vehicles and service traffic, and for queues and lines inside the venue, crowd control barricades are lighter to move.
Weight, height and fill for plastic water filled barriers
Once the type and the crash requirement are settled, the remaining choice depends on how exposed the site is and how the barriers will be handled.
Filled weight and wind exposure
More filled weight holds a line better on open ground. Choose the heavier full-length units for open roadsides, bridges and long-term perimeters, and the lighter units where barriers move often and the site is sheltered.
Height and fence extensions
Low units mark an edge, while taller units and fence extensions stop people stepping over and screen the work behind. A mesh panel turns a barrier into a fence but also catches wind, and a fenced barrier is tested to a lower wind speed than the same barrier without its panel, so a fenced run on exposed ground calls for a heavier base unit.
Connection systems and mixing fleets
The range uses several connection systems: S-clips on the anti-trip separator, hook-and-eye joints on the full-length barriers and the City Wall, steel pins on the RB22, and the Evo interlock that links the Evo units. Before extending a run already on site, match its system. The City Wall is listed to connect with RB22, RB2000 and GB2 runs, so it can add a crash-tested section to an existing line of those barriers.
Water or sand fill
Sand is denser than water, so the same shell carries more weight, but it takes longer to empty and suits runs that stay in one place. The Evo units, the Euro barrier and several of the track barriers accept sand.
Stacking, forklift handling and storage
The heavier full-length and crash-tested barriers have fork channels or forklift guides, so plan for a forklift at delivery and when repositioning, while separators and Evo units are light enough to place by hand.
Water filled barriers with fence extensions and gates
Mesh fence extensions
A mesh fence extension slots into the top of a water filled barrier without tools to add height and anti-climb mesh, in galvanized steel or white powder coat. The Evo 1 has its own mini mesh extension sized to it.
Pedestrian and vehicle gates
The RB22 pedestrian gate connects directly to RB22 crash barriers and closes itself on a spring. For RB2000 runs, the RB2000 vehicle gate closes a wide access point, and a matching RB2000 pedestrian gate connects to the barrier extensions.
Water filled fence bases
Fence bases are water filled ballast for mesh fence panels, carried to site empty and filled in position. The water filled fence stabilizer takes standard anti-climb mesh panels and crowd control barriers on open, windy sites. The Aqua Base fence base comes as a red and white pair with bolt and chain fasteners against theft. The slot block fence base holds a full-size panel along its length on a small footprint for inner-city sites, and the wider fencing range is under temporary fencing accessories.
Popular Categories
Crowd & Pedestrian Barricades
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Frequently Asked Questions
The trade uses several names for the same product: water filled jersey barriers, plastic jersey barriers, water barricades, water walls and barrier walls. Highway engineers also call them longitudinal channelizing devices. Low pedestrian versions are often sold as water filled road separators or anti-trip barriers, while barriers built to hold back floodwater are a separate product sold as flood barriers.
Price rises with size, filled weight and crash testing, so self-weighted units, anti-trip separators and Evo units cost least, full-length barriers sit in the middle and crash-tested walls cost most. Gates, fence extensions and the number of units needed to cover the run add to the total, and current prices for each barrier and color are shown in the product grid on this page.
Each barrier is set in position empty, then filled through a capped opening on top from a hose, hydrant connection or water truck. Larger units drain through a plug or valve at the base, and some separators have a top drain or an optional drain hole so they empty without tipping. Draining at the end of the job brings each unit back to its empty weight for stacking and transport.
Water left in a barrier can freeze in a hard frost, and frozen ballast cannot be drained or adjusted until it thaws. For runs that stay out through winter, a sand-fillable barrier avoids the problem. Where a water filled unit has to stay in place, plan to drain it ahead of a freeze and refill it afterwards.
For most separation and perimeter work they replace a temporary concrete line, with the advantage that each unit is moved empty and filled where it stands, so the run is set with far lighter handling equipment than concrete needs. Once drained, the units stack for transport and storage between jobs, and the same barriers are filled again on the next site.