Water Filled Barriers
HERMEQ supplies water filled barriers that separate traffic, pedestrians and work zones on roadwork, construction sites and public works. The barriers are molded from UV-stabilized polyethylene and most stack when empty, so they ship light and gain their weight on site from water, or from sand or a self-weighted base on some models.
The range covers low-profile anti-trip separators such as the Buddha Barrier, modular Evo units, 6.5 ft water filled traffic barriers and crash tested barriers rated to 25 mph and 50 mph, with filled weights up to 1,323 lb.
Water filled jersey barriers, separators and modular units
The choice turns on how high the line must stand, how long each run is, and whether vehicles pass close enough to strike it.
Low-profile anti-trip separators
Low-profile separators are made for sidewalk closures, walkways and the edges of shallow utility work, where people walk beside the line and a trip hazard matters more than mass. The Buddha Barrier anti-trip separator and the matching anti-trip water filled barrier are the taller of these, with reflective strips and a top that takes a mesh panel. For a lower, heavier line, the hook-and-eye water fill traffic barrier and the heavy duty water filled road barrier sit closer to the ground and carry more water once filled.
Evo modular barriers for water or sand
The Evo family is a set of short interlocking sections for tight jobsites and layouts that change as the work moves. The Evo 1 barrier and the Evo 1.5 barrier share one low profile in two lengths, so a run can be made up to fit the space, and the taller Evo 80 barrier joins the same line where more height is wanted. All three take water or sand.
6.5 ft water filled traffic barriers
Long units close a lane or a perimeter with fewer joints and fewer units to place, and they carry the most ballast of the barriers without an impact rating. The 6.5 ft water filled traffic barrier is the lightest of the group and a common choice for event marshalling and pedestrian management. The GB2 water filled traffic barrier and the RB2000 water filled barrier are taller and far heavier for exposed roadside work and long-term perimeters, and the RB2000 has its own gates. The Bison heavy duty water filled barrier matches them in weight and pivots at each joint for cornered layouts, and the 31.5 in Bison water filled barrier gives the same length and weight at a medium height. The Euro Barrier for water or sand is a lower long unit for runs where sand ballast suits the job better.
Crash tested water filled barriers
Three units carry an impact test, and they differ in test speed and in what fits them. The 25 mph crash tested water filled barrier, sold as the City Wall, is rated for slower traffic, joins with hook and eye connections and takes a mesh fence extension on top. The RB22 water filled crash barrier is rated to 50 mph, links with steel pins and has corner sections and a walkthrough gate made for its own system. The Defender50 crash barrier is the 50 mph unit whose test was run with fence panels fitted on top, which matters where the crash rated line also has to be a full-height site wall.
Self-weighted barriers that need no fill
The Road Runner 500 self-weighted barrier carries its weight in a recycled PVC base, so it is placed straight from the truck with nothing to fill or drain. Units link without tools, and the barrier suits short roadwork and pedestrian jobs where filling and draining would take longer than the work itself.
Crash tested or delineation water filled barricades
Most water filled barricades in the range are delineation barriers. They mark the edge of the work, channel vehicles and people along a set route and keep the public out of the zone, and their filled weight holds the line against wind and casual contact. They have no impact rating, so where a vehicle leaving its lane could reach crews, an open excavation or pedestrians on the far side, the line needs a crash tested barrier.
The test speed is matched to the traffic beside the work. The 25 mph City Wall suits slow urban streets, parking lots, compounds and internal site roads, where vehicles pass close but slowly. The 50 mph RB22 and Defender50 suit faster roads, lane shifts and highway repair. Where traffic runs faster than any temporary barrier's test speed, or the protection has to stay in place for years, concrete barriers or highway guardrail are the products for the job.
Many work zones use both kinds: a crash tested line along the traffic face, with lighter separators marking walkways, laydown areas and equipment routes inside the zone.
Water filled road barriers, sidewalk closures and events
Roadwork and lane closures
A lane closure needs a continuous line that drivers read as a solid edge, with no gaps between units for a car to clip or a pedestrian to slip through. Most units come in red, white or a red and white mix, and alternating colors along the run makes the line easy to follow from a distance. Traffic cones and traffic cone lights mark the approach ahead of the barriers and keep the closure visible after dark.
Excavations and utility work
Around a trench or a pit, the barrier has to close the whole perimeter, often in a small footprint, so connections that turn tight corners matter more than length. Short sections such as the S-Clip separators and the Evo units wrap a small excavation without gaps, while long units suit the straight sides of a long trench.
Sidewalk closures and pedestrian routes
When a sidewalk is closed or diverted, the barrier sits beside pedestrians at ankle and knee height, including people pushing strollers and wheelchair users, so an anti-trip base and a smooth face count for more than weight.
Events and crowd segregation
Event crews set out barrier lines in hours and clear them overnight, so units that are light to place empty and quick to fill and drain are the practical choice. Water filled barriers with mesh toppers separate vehicle routes, parking areas and service roads from the crowd, while crowd control barriers handle queues and pedestrian-only lines where no vehicle comes near.
Site perimeters and compounds
A compound or perimeter that stands for months calls for the heavier 6.5 ft units, which hold their position through weather and casual knocks from equipment.
Water barricade sizes, fill and connections
Height and footprint
The range runs from about 20 in to 39 in high. Low units keep sightlines clear for drivers at junctions, driveways and parking lot exits, so they suit urban work near intersections, while taller units are harder to step over or lean across and make the base for a fenced perimeter.
Water, sand or self-weighted
Water is the standard ballast because it is on hand at most sites, fills quickly and drains away at the end of the job. The Evo family and the Euro Barrier also take sand, which does not freeze and suits long jobs, though it takes longer to empty. Where water would freeze through the winter or no hydrant or water truck is near, sand fill or the self-weighted Road Runner 500 avoids the problem, and water filled units on winter jobs are drained before a hard freeze.
Connection systems and mixing models
Connection systems differ from family to family: S-Clip joints on the low-profile separators, interlocks on the Evo range, hook and eye on the water fill traffic barrier, most 6.5 ft units and the City Wall, and steel pins on the RB22. A run built from one family joins without gaps, so plan one family per run and confirm on the listing that two models connect before mixing them. Cornering also varies widely, from shallow bends on some long units to full returns on the S-Clip separators, and a layout with tight corners is planned around the family that turns them.
Handling, filling and storage
Low-profile separators and Evo sections are light enough to place by hand when empty. The long units are set out empty, several have molded forklift channels for moving them on site, and they are filled where they stand, so the job needs a hydrant or water truck with enough volume for the whole run. Most of the range nests or stacks when empty, which lets one truck deliver a long run of barrier and keeps the units compact in the yard between jobs.
Water filled barriers with fence and gates
Mesh fence extensions
A steel mesh panel fitted to the top of the barrier turns a waist-high line into a site wall up to about 6.5 ft tall, with anti-climb mesh that keeps the public out of the work. The galvanized anti-climb mesh fence extension slots onto water filled traffic barriers without tools, and the Evo 1 mesh fence extension adds height to Evo 1 runs. A mesh topper catches wind, so a fenced barrier carries a lower wind rating than the same barrier unfenced, and on exposed sites the barrier and the topper are chosen together.
Pedestrian gates
The RB2000 pedestrian gate connects into the RB2000 line and its fence extensions, giving a controlled walkway through the perimeter. The RB22 walkthrough pedestrian gate does the same in a crash tested RB22 run and closes itself on a spring, so it does not stand open after each person passes.
Vehicle gates
The RB2000 vehicle gate opens the run wide enough for trucks and deliveries, rolls on casters and latches shut when the opening is not in use.
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Frequently Asked Questions
In the trade they go by several names: water barricades, water filled barricades, plastic water filled barriers and water filled construction barriers. Long, tall units used along roads are often called water filled jersey barriers or plastic jersey barriers, after the concrete jersey barrier they replace on temporary jobs.
Filled weights across the HERMEQ range run from about 57 lb for the shortest Evo section to 1,323 lb for the RB22 crash barrier, with the long traffic barriers between roughly 400 lb and 900 lb. Empty, the low-profile units are light enough for one person to carry and the 6.5 ft units can be moved by two people or a forklift.
Price rises with a unit's length, its fill capacity and whether it is crash tested, so a short low-profile separator costs far less than a 50 mph crash barrier. To cost a run, divide its length by the unit's working length, which is shorter than the overall length because units overlap at the joints, then add any fence extensions and gates.
On many temporary jobs they can, because a water filled barrier marks or, in crash tested form, protects a work zone while weighing a fraction of a concrete block when empty. That means it ships on an ordinary truck, is placed by hand or forklift and is drained to move again.
Capacity runs from under 6 gal in the low-profile separators to 143 gal in the RB22 crash barrier. Units fill through a capped port on top and drain through a plug or valve, so they empty where they stand without tipping. The drained water can be used to fill the next section of the run.
The heavier units in the range are wind tested free-standing, without stakes or anchors, with the highest ratings reaching 78 mph unfenced. Lighter low-profile units rely on their filled weight and on being joined into a continuous run, which is steadier than single barriers standing apart.