Iowa’s New Highway Cable Barriers Helping to Reduce Fatalities

An effort to build cable barriers on Iowa’s highways has helped reduce the number of cross-median fatal crashes.

After 21 people died as a result of cross-median collisions in 2010, state officials installed 177 miles of cable median barriers. Since then, Iowa has seen fewer cross-median fatalities, dropping from nine in 2011 to six in 2014.

Chris Poole of the Iowa Department of Transportation says the state averaged 16 cross-median fatalities each year before the cable barriers were installed.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Nebraska doesn’t have plans to follow Iowa’s lead, but experts say the effort also could work for Nebraska.

Jim Knott of the Nebraska Department of Roads says the state has wider medians that help prevent such crashes.