Road blockers come in different constructions, and are equipped to handle different threat levels. Typical designs include beam barriers, where a horizontal steel beam travels through vertical tracks from the fully underground position to the fully upward position, wedge barriers, constructed with no side supports where a wedge-shaped steel structure would travel through an angle from the fully open position to the fully closed position, and barrier-lie blockers where the barrier arm is specifically reinforced to handle high velocity vehicles.

The nature of the road blockers’ operation calls for paying extra special attention to safety. Typically constructed with vehicular traffic in mind, road blockers come equipped with loop detectors on either side of the blocker, infrared photo beam sensors, and traffic lights. The high level of redundancy is necessary when considering the possible damages involved. However, that doesn’t mean that a security loophole is generated with the added emphasis on safety, as an emergency functionality is available to quickly raise the blocker even if any of the safety devices are triggered, for those cases where security breach is possible.