Tension end treatment for guardrail safety system

An end treatment for a guardrail safety system comprising:

• a terminal portion of a guardrail beam comprising a downstream end and an upstream end;
• a first tension cable coupled to the upstream end of the terminal portion of the guardrail beam;
• a second tension cable having a downstream end and an upstream end, the downstream end of the first tension cable being coupled to a support post;
• an extruder configured to receive at least a portion of the guardrail beam and at least a portion of the first tension cable, the extruder comprising a narrowing throat providing a channel in which the at least a portion of the guardrail beam is disposed, wherein the narrowing throat is configured to flatten the guardrail beam in response to a. collision with a vehicle moving the extruder in a downstream direction along the guardrail beam;
• a striking plate at an upstream end of the extruder, the striking plate extending above and below the extruder, the striking plate being configured with an outlet through which the first tension cable passes, the outlet being at a location above ground level;
• a cable guide coupled to the extruder, the cable guide comprising a tube through which the first tension cable passes, the cable guide configured to transition the tension cable from a first height above the ground level to a second height that is lower than the first height and proximate the location of the outlet in the striking plate at the location above the ground level;
• and
• a terminal support post installed adjacent the roadway at the upstream end of the end treatment, the terminal support post being coupled to an upstream end of the first tension cable and the upstream end of the third tension cable proximate ground level, and
• wherein the guardrail beam comprises a w-beam member,
• Wherein the guardrail beam includes a plurality of slotted zones formed in an upstream end of the w-beam member,
• wherein the first tension cable is coupled to the terminal portion of the guardrail beam by a first paddle configured to maintain the tension cable in tension during an end-on or re-directive impact by a vehicle leaving a roadway,
• wherein the second tension cable is coupled to the terminal portion of the guardrail beam by a second paddle configured to maintain the tension cable in tension during the end-on or re-directive impact by the vehicle leaving the roadway, and
• wherein the narrowing throat is configured to flatten the w-beam member into a plurality of stacked plates.