WSDOT is giving full attention to the Tuesday, Feb. 13, cross-over collision in Marysville that occurred on an I-5 segment protected by the double row of cable median barrier.
While it is very early in the investigation, it appears that the vehicle that crossed the median was moving with enormous force. When it hit the second row of cables, two roughly 1000-foot-long strands of the cable median barrier were actually torn from their end fasteners. While this suggests that the speed or angle of the vehicle might have been much in excess of what the system is designed to protect against, we will have a detailed discussion with the manufacturer of this cable median barrier.
WSP Troopers and WSDOT engineers confirm:
• The vehicle likely entered southbound I-5 at 88th Street and traveled only about 1,000 feet across three traffic lanes before leaving the roadway.
• The vehicle engaged two cable median barrier systems, the newly installed high tension system adjacent to the southbound lanes and the recently relocated system adjacent to the northbound lanes.
The statistical record demonstrating the value of cable median barrier is growing all the time.
Statistics recently presented in WSDOT’s Gray Notebook report on 35 miles of highway protected by cable median barrier for more than six months show that in 2005 crossovers were nearly 70 percent less than before the installation. Ninety-six percent of the vehicles that struck the cable median barrier were contained entirely by the barrier system. The Marysville segment is not included in this summary.
In the Marysville area (I-5, milepost 199 to 209), in 2006 there were 34 reported hits on the cable median barrier which was in place even as, late in the year, the cable system was doubled. In only one of these instances did the vehicle cross the fog line into an opposing traffic lane.
The length of Washington State highways on which travelers are protected by cable median barrier at the end of 2006 was 138 miles. Approximately 50 miles of new installations have been completed or are ongoing in 2007 on US 101, SR 3 and SR 512.
For more information on the cable median barrier system, go to: www.wsdot.wa.gov/maintenance/barriers/cable/default
For more information on the 2006 project to install cable median barrier across the state, go to: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/CableBarrier