Medford, Ore.- For years Oregon Department of Transportation has been working to install barrier cables on I-5 from Portland to the California border.
Now, the effort to close the gaps is almost over.
The cable barriers are a part of a $7.5 million project.
ODOT’s Gary Leaming says that where there’s no guard rail or barrier along parts of I-5, ODOT will be putting in the safety cable barrier to provide safety for the traveling public.
The idea with the cables is that they act as a buffer to prevent the most dangerous type of accidents.
“They’re at very high strength. They’re pulled very tight. And it prevents the vehicle from cutting across and going into the opposing lane of traffic and causing even more of a crash,” Oregon State Policeman Jeff Proulx says.
Before they were installed in Jackson County, NBC5 News manor cam caught a frightening scene last year. A vehicle flying across the area between opposing lanes of traffic, after it was spike stripped. The cables would prevent that from happening now.
They’re a tried and true safety method according to Leaming. And they come at a drastically lower cost than concrete medians.
Right now the cable barriers are scattered across Southern Oregon where the space between opposite going traffic is 100 feet or less, but Leaming says that will be changing soon.
“By the end of next year we should have cable barrier throughout I-5 in Southern Oregon.”
And that will mean increased safety for everyone driving the interstate.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.