Bollard Installation and Repair in Hurst, TX

Bollard installation and repair in Hurst, TX is bollard work at the pinch point of the HEB mid-cities, where Airport Freeway and SH-26 cross and funnel traffic from Fort Worth and DFW Airport through the same corridor. C & D Commercial Services has been installing and repairing bollards across the mid-cities for over 40 years, and Hurst is the geographic center of that work. Hurst is the middle city of the HEB triad — bordered by Bedford to the east and Euless to the west — and it sits at the literal intersection of the two highways that define the mid-cities. Airport Freeway (TX-121/183) runs east-west and SH-26 runs north-south, and both carry traffic from both Fort Worth and the airport. The frontage roads handle dual-direction commuter volume, and the concentration of traffic at the pinch point creates a higher incidence of vehicle-pedestrian and vehicle-building conflicts than you see in the surrounding mid-cities. Pipeline Road runs north-south through the industrial side of the city and handles steady truck traffic. North East Mall sits at the center of the city and draws shoppers from across the mid-cities. The Airport Freeway drainage channels water into the adjacent parking lots, and the expansive mid-cities clay holds that moisture — the clay heaves when it gets wet and cracks when it dries, and that cycle works on bollard footings over the years. The established properties from the 1970s through 1990s have mature post oaks and cedar elms along the corridors, and the root systems run under the parking lots and can interfere with bollard footings.

We work with property managers, business owners, and facility directors in Hurst who need bollard installation, bollard repair, and bollard replacement. Our crews know the pinch point traffic, the industrial Pipeline Road truck traffic, and the clay and drainage conditions that are specific to the mid-cities.

Our approach starts with a walk of the property. We identify the vehicle-pedestrian conflict points, the vehicle-building conflict points, and the loading dock exposure. For Hurst frontage road properties, the pinch point traffic means the parking lots see vehicles entering from both directions of Airport Freeway, and the pedestrian walkways between the parking lots and the storefronts need bollards to keep vehicles from cutting across. The frontage road speeds are higher than surface street speeds, and a vehicle that leaves the frontage road carries more energy into a parking lot than a vehicle on a surface street. The bollards on the frontage road side of the property need to be security-rated and deeply embedded.

For Pipeline Road industrial properties, the truck traffic is the focus. The loading docks on Pipeline Road handle steady delivery traffic, and the dock doors and the building corners take the brunt of the truck traffic. The security-rated steel pipe bollards prevent the trucks from backing into the dock doors and the building corners. The 24/7 nature of some of the industrial operations means the bollards need to be durable, and the installation needs to be scheduled around the operations.

For North East Mall area properties, the ring road around the mall sees heavy shopper traffic and delivery traffic in the same lanes. The pedestrian crossings between the outparcels and the main mall need bollards to keep vehicles out of the crossing zones. The holiday shopping season is the highest-demand period, and the bollards need to handle the extreme pedestrian flow. The decorative bollards complement the mall landscape while providing the vehicle protection.

For the surface street retail — Harwood Road, Brown Trail, and the smaller corridors — the established properties have storefronts that need both vehicle protection and a clean appearance. The mature post oaks and cedar elms along these corridors have root systems that run under the parking lots, and we assess the root locations before we dig. We may shift the bollard a foot or two to avoid a major root, or we may use a shallower, wider footing that stays above the root zone.

For properties that already have bollards, we check the footing and the steel. The frontage road properties take a beating — delivery trucks clip the bollards, and commuter traffic backs into them. If the steel pipe is bent but the footing is intact, we cut out the damaged section and weld in a new pipe. If the footing has been cracked or pushed, we excavate and pour a new footing.

We install four types of bollards for Hurst properties. Security bollards are steel pipe — typically 6-inch diameter pipe, embedded in concrete and filled with concrete. For the Airport Freeway and SH-26 frontage road properties, the security bollards are rated for the higher frontage road speeds, and we embed them 24 inches into the core-drilled hole. For the Pipeline Road industrial properties, the security bollards protect the loading dock doors and the building corners from the truck traffic. The steel is the same heavy-wall pipe we use across DFW, and the concrete fill anchors the pipe and adds the mass that stops a vehicle.

Decorative bollards are the choice for the North East Mall ring road and the surface street retail. We use cast iron and steel decorative bollards in finishes that complement the mid-cities retail aesthetic — the established properties from the 1970s through 1990s have a specific look, and the bollard finishes need to match. The powder-coated finishes can match the storefront facade, and the cap style can be selected to complement the building. For the mall ring road, the decorative bollards complement the mall landscape while keeping vehicles out of the pedestrian crossings.

Lighted bollards combine protection with illumination. The LED lighting is integrated into the bollard and provides a low-level light that improves safety without creating glare. For the North East Mall area, the lighted bollards improve safety for the evening shopper traffic, and the holiday shopping season is when the lighted bollards earn their keep. The shaded zones under the mature post oaks can be dark even during the day, and the lighted bollards improve visibility in those areas.

Removable bollards are used where temporary vehicle control is needed. The bollard sits in a ground sleeve that is embedded in the pavement, and the bollard lifts out when vehicle access is needed. For the mall ring road, removable bollards can close a lane for a mall event and then reopen it for delivery traffic. For the Pipeline Road industrial properties, removable bollards can control loading dock access during off-hours.

We also apply reflective markings on the security bollards. The reflective tape is applied in alternating bands of white and orange, and the markings improve visibility at night and in the rain. For the frontage road properties, the reflective markings are essential — a bollard that is not visible at night on the frontage road is a hazard, not a protection.

Our installation process is built around the pinch point traffic, the Pipeline Road truck traffic, and the mid-cities clay and drainage. We start with the walk of the property and the identification of the conflict points. The spacing depends on the conflict — frontage road security bollards are 4 to 6 feet apart, surface street retail decorative bollards are 4 to 5 feet apart, and loading dock bollards are spaced to match the dock door width.

For installation in existing concrete, we core drill. The core drill cuts a clean hole through the concrete without spalling the surface, and the hole is 8 to 10 inches in diameter for a 6-inch pipe. We embed the pipe at least 18 inches for standard installations and 24 inches for the frontage road security bollards. The concrete fill anchors the pipe and adds the mass.

For installation in areas without existing concrete, we dig a footing and pour. The footing is 24 inches deep for standard installations and 30 inches for the frontage road security bollards — the deeper footing gets below the active clay zone and gives the bollard the mass it needs to stop a vehicle at frontage road speed. The Airport Freeway drainage is a factor — we slope the concrete cap on the footing so water sheds away from the steel, and we use a concrete mix that resists the moisture that the mid-cities clay holds.

After the bollard is set, we apply the reflective markings on the security bollards and the custom finishes on the decorative bollards. For the established properties with settled pavement, the installation may include a pavement patch or a new concrete pad around the bollard — the settled parking lots have low spots and cracks, and a bollard set in a cracked pad is not solid. The entire installation takes a day for a standard 5 to 10 bollard project. We schedule around the business operations, and for the 24/7 industrial properties on Pipeline Road, we can work in phases to keep the loading docks operational.

Every bollard project has its own scope. A single bollard in an existing concrete pad is a different job than twenty bollards on a new site with footings, and the quote reflects that. What we can tell you up front is that over 40 years of installing bollards across the mid-cities has taught us how to keep costs down. We already have the concrete crews, the core drilling equipment, and the paving equipment for other work, so we do not subcontract the pieces that drive the price up. When property managers compare our quotes side by side, we typically come in lower.

Call us for a free estimate. We walk the property, assess what you need, and give you a number that is honest and straightforward. No inflated numbers, no hidden fees.

Need this service for your commercial property in DFW? C & D Commercial Services offers fast, free quotes with responses within 1 business day. Call us at 972.475.2271.