City Of Concord Plans To Unveil New Safety Barriers At Market Days For Street Closures

CONCORD, NH — The city will debut modular vehicle barriers during Intown Concord’s Market Days Festival from June 25 to June 27, with the units set to be stationed at the festival’s major intersections, according to a city press release issued Tuesday.

The city said the barriers were intended to make the annual downtown event and future public happenings safer for the community. The MVB3X Modular Vehicle Barrier System is a portable vehicular barrier system designed and tested to minimize vehicle intrusions, according to the release.

The city said the system is used worldwide for temporary street closures to protect pedestrians in public areas during events and large gatherings. According to the release, when a vehicle hits the barrier, its momentum is forced downward, which neutralizes its forward motion and quickly stops the vehicle.

The barrier system is also designed to be moved easily if emergency services need access to an area, according to the city. That feature is especially relevant for downtown events requiring street closures.

“Public safety is our number one priority when planning public events in Concord,” Jessica Martin, the executive director of Intown Concord, said. “We are grateful to the Concord Fire Department for their commitment to keeping our community safe and seeing this lengthy process through completion.”

The city has been working to acquire the barriers for eight years, with support from organizations including Intown Concord, which organizes numerous major downtown events that require street closures throughout the year.

The traffic barriers were purchased for about $250,000 through a U.S. Homeland Security grant. The debut of the festival will mark the first public use of the modular barriers in Concord, according to the city’s announcement.