Nebraska Department of Transportation installing new medians

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – There have been greater than 140 accidents in a 20 mile stretch on I-80 simply west of Lincoln in 5 years, so the Nebraska Division of Transportation is making an attempt to curb that quantity with a brand new pilot program.

NDOT is putting in cable median limitations from Pleasantdale to Utica to forestall automobiles from crossing the median. Of the 140 accidents on I-80 between Pleasantdale and Utica, 30 crossed the median into the other aspect of site visitors and 5 resulted in demise.

NDOT has put in rumble strips, guard rails and experimented with much more to forestall accidents, however different states have seen constructive outcomes with the cable median limitations, in order that they selected this pilot program after years of analysis.

“These gadgets are designed to principally redirect automobiles from persevering with of their path again to what we might hope to be a protected stoppage,” Khalil Jaber, deputy director of engineering with NDOT, mentioned.

The medians at the moment being put in are three-strand cables. Jaber says some states have a unique quantity of cable, however Nebraska’s medians are about 64 toes extensive from fringe of driving lane to the other edge, so they found three strands is finest for I-80 in Nebraska.

The associated fee is about $250,000 a mile, so $10 million in whole for this pilot program. The freeway security funds can pay for it, however Jaber says they’ll get well the price in two years, but it surely’s not about restoration the cash, it’s about saving lives.

“We weren’t actually targeted on the price as a lot because the profit. It far exceeds what the funding we’re making an attempt to do, and moreover that financial loss, it’s a loss to society. It’s enormous on this case,” Jaber mentioned.

NDOT will monitor this pilot program for not less than three years. In the event that they get constructive outcomes, if there’s much less accidents, they’ll contemplate putting in extra throughout Nebraska.

“We do suppose the evaluation goes to point out that it’s going to scale back these crashes tremendously,” Jaber mentioned.

Jaber says NDOT works to be a zero-death company, but it surely’s additionally essential that drivers make certain they’re targeted on the highway and driving safely with no distractions.

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