The minimum length for some barrier systems is 100 feet (30 m). The length can vary based on application and the amount of barrier needed to effectively deflect an errant vehicle.

Some barrier systems have four rubber feet on the bottom of each segment “to increase the coefficient of friction between the barrier element and the road surface”. This helps the barrier resist vehicle impact and keeps the barrier from moving significantly if struck.

Barrier transfer machines can typically move their barrier segments anywhere between 4 and 24 feet (1.2 and 7.3 m) in one pass, usually at a speed between 5 and 10 miles per hour (8.0 and 16.1 km/h). Some models of the machine hold 50 feet (15 m) of barrier at a time as they are engaged in transferring.^[The machine can transfer within the regular traffic flow without hindering other vehicles:

Admirably engineered, the barrier-moving process does not compromise traffic flow in either direction, and the truck is shielded by the blocks it's moving. If you're traveling in the same direction as the truck, the lane it's working behind is already blocked. And if you pass the vehicle at the speed limit, you can safely move into the lane ahead of it. Oncoming motorists, meanwhile, are prevented from entering the zipper's lane by the concrete barriers in front of it, and they can move into a lane after they have passed the truck.