Cable Barriers To Be Added To Help Prevent Deadly Incidents

Posted:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Transportation will add new additions along Interstate 40 in hopes of preventing deadly incidents.

Video from car wrecks on Interstate 40 near Highway 109, can not begin to tell the story of just how life changing they are.

On Wednesday, a Brentwood man lost his life when another driver crossed the median and hit his car head on. The incident is still under investigation.

An incident in the same location a few years ago left a woman with serious burns on 45 percent of her body and caused her to loose both of her legs.

Lebanon officer Stephen Green said he's responded to many of the accidents. He said they are typically head on collisions, caused by no dividing barrier.

"That's more difficult than going to a fatality because somebody is there in pain trying to get out of a car and they can't," said Green.

With federal safety money, they will add nearly 63 miles of cable barriers to prevent cars from crossing over medians into oncoming traffic.

BJ Doughty with TDOT said after months of studying the area, they've decided to add the miles of cable barriers along I-40. The area near Highway 109, is apart of the project.

"These are perfect conditions for the cable barriers, and will hopefully increase safety along many of our roadways," said Doughty.

The cable barriers have been used in other states, and at least three areas in the mid-state currently have them installed.

"These cables will absorb some of the impact, and it will keep them from throwing them back out into the traffic coming behind them," said Green.

The money to fund the cable barriers will come from federal safety money. The nearly 63 mile project is expected to be completed by May of 2010. They're supposed to start the project sometime next month.