MDOT installing median cable barrier along
US-131 and I-94 in Kalamazoo and Allegan counties
Contact:
Nick Schirripa, MDOT Office of Communications, 269-337-3927
Agency:
Transportation
Aug. 18, 2009 -- In an effort to increase motorist safety, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is installing more than 30 miles of median cable barrier along US-131 and I-94 in Kalamazoo and Allegan counties.
Installation will require left-lane closures on northbound US-131 from south of B Avenue in Kalamazoo County to north of 146th Avenue in Allegan County, as well as on I-94 from the Kalamazoo/Van Buren county line to 12th Street. The work is scheduled for completion on Oct. 9. Traditional steel guardrail also will be installed on US-131 bridges.
Cable barrier, also know as cable guard rail, consists of steel wire ropes mounted on posts and is a relatively low-cost barrier designed to prevent vehicles from crossing the median. The cable barriers capture or redirect vehicles in a crash, and have proven 95 percent effective in reducing crashes with serious injuries or fatalities. In contrast, concrete barrier is about 60-65 percent effective.
Cable barriers are not meant as a replacement for steel or concrete barriers, but merely as another tool in MDOT's road safety toolbox.
For up-to-date information on this project, go to the list of statewide lane closures at: www.michigan.gov/drive. Follow MDOT at www.twitter.com/MichiganDOT or visit the "Michigan Department of Transportation" page on Facebook and become a fan.
MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.
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