DELTA OFFERING NEW DESIGNER BOLLARDS.

Byline: Daily News

VALENCIA - They're designed to stop the most vicious terrorists - and now they come in designer styles.

Valencia-based Delta Scientific Corp., manufacturer of high-security bollards used to protect government buildings around the world, now offers its high-security gates in ``decorative casings to match any architectural design,'' the company says.

The company will customize the devices in tubes of aluminum, iron or bronze and offer them faceted, fluted, tapered, with rings or ripple effects, or to look like pillars. Cast sleeves also can incorporate logos or patterns of architectural style.

Delta builds hydraulic barrier systems that shoot up from the ground to block uninvited vehicles from entering such buildings as embassies, nuclear facilities, military bases and corporate headquarters. The bollards can be lowered to permit authorized vehicles to pass.

The new customized barrier systems also can be galvanized to resist corrosion, fitted with warning lights for increased visibility and engineered to suit high-volume traffic.

They are operated by control panels, card readers, key pads or radio controls.

And even though they look pretty, in a crash test, the system stopped a 7.5-ton vehicle traveling at 44 mph. The system has received the U.S. Defense Department's top rating.