Patent ID: 8127419

Claim:
A method of adapting salvaged highway guardrail materials to provide multifunctional, weather resistant, reinforced barrier systems in an environmentally responsible manner comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of salvaged highway guardrail materials comprising W6×9 guardrail posts having a length of approximately six feet and W-beam guardrails of various lengths, wherein said plurality of salvaged highway guardrail materials was originally manufactured using AASHTO M 270/M 270M grade steel; selecting a first and second of said W6×9 guardrail posts from said plurality of salvaged highway guardrail materials; cutting said second W6×9 guardrail post to provide a shortened W6×9 guardrail post of approximately two feet; welding a distal end of said first W6×9 guardrail post to a distal end of said shortened W6×9 guardrail post to permanently join said first W6×9 guardrail post and said shortened W6×9 guardrail post, thereby providing a first resized W6×9 post having a continuous length of approximately eight feet; applying a weather-resistant coating to the welded junction of said first resized W6×9 post to prevent degradation from weather and ground exposure; inserting a distal end of said first resized W6×9 post into a ground surface approximately two feet for stabilization in a vertical orientation, whereby approximately six feet of said first resized W6×9 post protrudes from said ground surface in a vertical arrangement to provide a first vertical support beam; providing a second resized W6×9 post in the manner defined for providing said first resized W6×9 post; applying a weather-resistant coating to the welded junction of said second resized W6×9 post to prevent degradation from weather and ground exposure; inserting a distal end of said second resized W6×9 post into a ground surface approximately two feet for stabilization in a vertical orientation and spaced at least one foot horizontally from said first resized W6×9 post, whereby approximately six feet of said second resized W6×9 post protrudes from said ground surface in a vertical arrangement to provide a second vertical support beam; mounting a first end of at least one W-beam guardrail to said first resized W6×9 post and a second end to said second resized W6×9 post in a fixed and generally horizontal arrangement to define a barrier to passage between said first resized W6×9 post and said second resized W6×9 post.