April 2012

Page 1 of 8
FIRE PROTECTION FOR BUILDING OVER HIGHWAYS
Table of Contents
Page
1.0 SCOPE ................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Changes .......................................................................................................................................... 2
2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 2
2.1 Construction and Location ............................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Protection ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.3 Human Element ............................................................................................................................... 4
3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 5
3.1 General ............................................................................................................................................ 5
4.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 8
4.1 FM Global ........................................................................................................................................ 8
4.2 Others .............................................................................................................................................. 8
APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS ....................................................................................................... 8
APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY ....................................................................................... 8
List of Figures
Fig. 1. Four 32-story apartment buildings and a bus terminal built over the Trans-Manhattan
Expressway. ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Fig. 2. Building slab extending 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line. (Plan view). ...................................... 3
Fig. 3. Fire resistive walls of building over highway. (Plan view). ................................................................. 4
Fig. 4. Wall hydrants in the space under Detroits Cobo Hall. ...................................................................... 5
Fig. 5. The Post Office Building in Chicago is built over the Eisenhower Expressway. ............................... 6
Fig. 6. Cobo Hall in Detroit is built over the John C. Lodge Expressway. .................................................... 6
Fig. 7. This supermarket in Newton, Massachusetts was built over the Massachusetts Turnpike. .............. 7
FM Global
Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets 1-16
2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Factory Mutual Insurance Company.
1.0 SCOPE
This standard outlines fire protection guidelines for buildings over highways with respect to the hazards
created by vehicles using the highways.
1.1 Changes
April 2012. Terminology related to ignitable liquids has been revised to provide increased clarity and consis-
tency with regard to FM Globals loss prevention recommendations for ignitable liquid hazards.
2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 Construction and Location
2.1.1 Floors, beams, and columns of a building over a highway that are exposed to the space below should
have a minimumfire resistance of four hours as established by Data Sheet 1-1, Firesafe Building Construction
and Materials, and Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies.
2.1.2 Exposure protection against fires at the entrances or exits of the space under a building should be
provided by the more practical of the recommendations below:
a) Buildings over highways should be built on unpierced fire resistive slabs, as specified by Recommen-
dation 2.1.1 or 2.2.1, that extend 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line (Figs. 1 and 2); or
Fig. 1. Four 32-story apartment buildings and a bus terminal built over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway.
1-16 Fire Protection for Building Over Highways
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
b) For 20 ft (6 m) above the top of the building slab or for at least one story, building walls facing the high-
way should be blank and have fire resistance of at least two hours. The walls parallel to the highway for
at least 20 ft (6 m) should also be blank for the same height from either entrance and have fire resis-
tance of at least two hours (Fig. 3).
2.1.3 When a new building is to be located over a highway, an increased level of protection may be warranted,
depending on the length of the building, etc.
a) A complete drainage system should be provided for the highway space under the building. Sumps
with automatic pumps should be provided where necessary. The design of the drainage system should
be equipped with protected collection areas so that the spills of hazardous materials, such as ignitable liq-
uids, cannot create a fire hazard in another area.
b) Roadways under buildings in excess of 200 ft (60 m) long should be equipped with an emergency
exhaust ventilation system designed for the removal of smoke and other toxic fumes from the roadway dur-
ing fires. The design of the system should also prevent or minimize adverse effects on the buildings and
their occupants from the fire products such as heat, smoke, and toxic gases. The system should be
designed to provide at least ten air changes per hour.
2.1.4 Where possible, walkways, elevated 6 in. (152.4 mm) and about 4 ft (1.23 m) wide, should be provided
on both sides of the roadway to facilitate manual fire fighting.
Fig. 2. Building slab extending 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line. (Plan view).
Fire Protection for Building Over Highways 1-16
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
2.2 Protection
2.2.1 As an alternative to recommendation 2.1.1, the floors, beams, and columns of the building should have
a minimum fire resistance of at least two hours and the space under the building should be protected with
automatic sprinklers. The sprinklers should be on an extra-hazard pipe schedule (see Data Sheet 2-8N, Instal-
lation of Sprinkler Systems [NFPA]), with spacing not to exceed 100 ft
2
(9.30 m
2
) per sprinkler. Either dry
or preaction systems are suitable in cold climates. An adequate water supply of two-hour duration for sprin-
kler and hydrant protection of at least 500 gpm hose demand should be provided in accordance with Data
Sheet 3-26, Fire Protection Water Demand for Nonstorage Sprinklered Properties. The sprinkler system
should also be protected against corrosion.
2.2.2 The sprinkler system fire alarm should be at least Class V as specified by Data Sheet 9-1, Supervi-
sion of Property.
2.2.3 If hydrants are not readily accessible, they should be installed immediately outside the space under
the building entrances and exits. Additionally, for buildings over 200 ft (60 m) long, wall hydrants should be
spaced every 150 ft (45 m) in accordance with Data Sheet 4-4N, Standpipe and Hose Systems (Fig. 4).
2.2.4 Manually-activated emergency alarms should be provided which transmit to a constantly attended
location, preferably the local fire department.
2.3 Human Element
2.3.1 An emergency preplanning traffic control system should be provided to prevent the involvement of addi-
tional vehicles in an accident, to slow traffic during inclement weather conditions, and to assist in fire depart-
ment vehicle access.
2.3.2 Dangerous cargo, as defined by the Department of Transportation, should be prohibited from passing
under buildings over highways.
Fig. 3. Fire resistive walls of building over highway. (Plan view).
1-16 Fire Protection for Building Over Highways
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 General
Buildings that span highways in and around metropolitan areas are becoming more common. Fire emergen-
cies that may be anticipated range from fires in passenger vehicles to major accidents involving loaded trucks
carrying ignitable liquids or other hazardous cargoes. Heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions may con-
tribute to the seriousness of the accident by involving approaching vehicles and obstructing fire department
access. (See Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 1.)
The structural members supporting a building over a highway could be subjected to very high tempera-
tures during a ignitable liquid fire or explosion, even though of short duration. Damage to these members
could have a serious effect on the building. Most fires of these types may substantially exceed the ASTM Stan-
dard Time-Temperature Curve during the early stages and would drop below the curve after two or three
hours. The structural elements that support the building may also be subjected to physical damage during
impact from motor vehicle accidents.
Ignitable liquids or flammable vapors can flow by gravity or via drainage systems and spread the fire well
beyond the area of the original emergency. During a fire, smoke can also spread in all directions as result of
density and pressure differentials, thus impeding efficient manual fire fighting. Consequently, a drainage sys-
tem and emergency ventilation are needed in the space under the building to help fire fighting and con-
trol the spread of the fire.
Many highway spaces under buildings are not equipped with manual fire fighting equipment, such as hydrants
and fire extinguishers. This equipment is especially needed when the space is not protected with sprinklers.
Limited access to highways under buildings and backed-up traffic frequently hinder the public fire depart-
ment response. Problems are further complicated by the lack of adequate communication facilities for report-
ing emergency conditions and for warning approaching vehicle operators of fire emergencies, hazardous
conditions, or visibility limitations.
Fig. 4. Wall hydrants in the space under Detroits Cobo Hall.
Fire Protection for Building Over Highways 1-16
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
Fig. 5. The Post Office Building in Chicago is built over the Eisenhower Expressway.
Fig. 6. Cobo Hall in Detroit is built over the John C. Lodge Expressway.
1-16 Fire Protection for Building Over Highways
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
Fig. 7. This supermarket in Newton, Massachusetts was built over the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Fire Protection for Building Over Highways 1-16
FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets Page 7
2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
Traffic control is a continuous problem from the time the emergency occurs until it has been brought under
control. Diverting or slowing traffic is essential to minimize the hazard of multiple collisions.
Openings in buildings over highways can be exposed to vehicle fires or explosions occurring at the entrance
or exit of the space under the building. Protection against such occurrences is needed.
While building developments over highways sometimes pose complex fire protection problems, few of these
problems are new or unique. The comparative rarity of this type of situation may cause adequate fire pro-
tection to be overlooked or only superficially considered. The following fire protection guidelines should be
considered for this type of development.
4.0 REFERENCES
4.1 FM Global
Data Sheet 1-1, Firesafe Building Construction and Materials.
Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies.
Data Sheet 2-8N, Installation of Sprinkler Systems (NFPA).
Data Sheet 3-26, Fire Protection Water Demand for Nonstorage Sprinklered Properties.
Data Sheet 4-4N, Standpipe and Hose Systems.
Data Sheet 9-1, Supervision of Property.
4.2 Others
American Society of testing and Materials (ASTM) E 119, Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests or Building
Construction Materials.
APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Standard Time-Temperature Curve: a standard curve representing the varying temperature over time used
in a furnace test (such as ASTM E 119, Standard Test Method for Fire Tests of Building Construction and
Materials, see Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies) of fire resistive materials.
APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY
April 2012. Terminology related to ignitable liquids has been revised to provide increased clarity and consis-
tency with regard to FM Globals loss prevention recommendations for ignitable liquid hazards.
January 2000. This revision of the document has been reorganized to provide a consistent format.
September 1981. First published.
May 1998. Editorial changes were made.
FM Engr. Comm. June 1981
1-16 Fire Protection for Building Over Highways
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2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.