I've heard the term "K" rails.?

Question

I've heard & seen "K"Rails along construction sites. How did the term come about? When you look at them they do not even resemble a"K"

Answer 1

Actually, if you look at the concrete rail from the end, it looks slightly like a lower case "k", with the first vertical line taller than the other two lines.

Answer 2

K-rail is the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) specification for temporary concrete traffic barriers.  The more appropriate title of this barrier is the Jersey barrier because they were first used in New Jersey to divide multiple lanes on a highway.

"Type K" just seems to be the designation for a temporary concrete barrier for CalTrans.  I can not find anything about where the designation actually came from.