THE state Department of Transportation is saving money, and is almost certain to save lives, by installing cable barriers in the median of a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 35 in McClain County.
The barriers are designed to prevent crossover accidents — those in which a vehicle traveling in one direction crosses through the median into traffic going in the other direction. Some stretches of highway in Oklahoma are particularly prone to crossovers, and one of those is I-35 from just south of Norman to near Purcell, an area that law officers have referred to as “Death Valley.”
This week, state transportation commissioners voted to spend $1.6 million for the installation of 15 miles of cable barrier. That averages out to about $107,000 per mile, which is downright inexpensive when compared with the $500,000 or so per mile, or more, that it costs to install concrete barriers in medians.
And we know the cable barriers work. The first barriers in the state were placed along seven miles of Lake Hefner Parkway in 2001. During a three-year span before that, six people were killed in crossover accidents. There has since been one fatality from the 400 reported hits on the cable. That accident involved an 18-wheeler that wound up making its way into oncoming traffic.
A seven-mile stretch of cable was installed two years ago on I-35 just north of Norman. There have been 115 reported hits since then, with no crossovers. Crossover accidents also have been prevented in other areas where cables have been tested.
Work on the newest stretch of median cables will begin in the coming months. More cable barriers are sure to follow, as ODOT Director Gary Ridley says they’re a serious issue for his agency. That’s sound policy, fiscally and otherwise.
