Michigan Department of Transportation says cable barriers can prevent truck cross-overs

As CBC Windsor reported Tuesday, cable barriers are the first sign of safety upgrades that advocates in southwestern Ontario have spent years pushing for along "carnage alley" — a section of Highway 401 between Tilbury and London named after a series of fatal collisions over the years.

While concrete barriers are in the long-term plan for the area, the Ministry of Transportation said "installing high-tension cable is the fastest way to bring significant safety improvements to this section of Highway 401."

While advocates are happy to see some progess, many are concerned that the cables will not be able to stop a truck from crossing the median. However, data from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) appears to line up with the MTO's assertion.

According to MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa, the state started installing high-tension cable barriers on its highways in 2008. A variety of highways received the safety measure, including Interstate-class roads, which are similar in standard to Ontario's 400-series highways.

Today, Michigan has more than 600 kilometres of the cable barriers installed.

Between 2009 and 2013, there were approximately 160 crashes involving big trucks on roads with the cable barriers, Schirripa told Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre.

"Out of all of those, only one truck entered opposing lanes. We have seen time and time again where these cables have caught, stopped and held large commercial vehicles — even school buses fully loaded with children."

When including passenger cars and other vehicles, crossover crashes were reduced by 87 per cent, with more than 99 per cent of the collisions not penetrating the median at all, said Schirripa, also noting that cable barriers are significantly cheaper than the concrete equivalent.

Tap on the player above to hear the entire conversation.

While MDOT continues to use concrete barriers in certain situations, such as on highways where there are minimal medians, the agency is a strong believer in cables.

"We've experienced that cable median barriers in our state are an effective median solution in certain circumstances," Schirripa said.