Oregon's median cable barriers work, for the most part - Statesman Journal
Two recent crashes on Interstate 5 near Woodburn have raised the question whether cable barriers installed on interstate medians really work. The barriers, installed throughout Oregon, are designed to prevent crashes on one side of the freeway from crossing over into the opposite lanes. On May 23 a southbound Ford Ranger blew a tire. The driver, Sean Moffit, 21, of Sacramento, California, lost control of the pickup, which spun out, broke through the cable barriers and rolled several times before coming to a stop in the northbound lanes, according Oregon State Police. Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Thompson said the department has never claimed that the cable barriers are foolproof. "The median cable barriers can stop most crossovers — not all — but most," Thompson said. In 2000, prior to the installation of a 23-mile stretch of cable barriers between Wilsonville and Salem, there were 11 crossover crashes and seven median crashes, according to Thompson. In the three years following the installation there were 60 reported median crashes but no crossover crashes, Thompson said. Source: www.statesmanjournal.com
