Fatal accidents in Mississippi are steadily decreasing, and a new, federally funded safety measure will help that trend continue.
Through the Transportation Authorization Bill, a four-strand, high-tension cable barrier is being constructed in a 30-mile stretch of Highway 82 in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties.
The cable-barrier consists of steel wire ropes mounted on weak posts. It”s designed to contain and redirect errant vehicles from crossover hazards, which is the most common accident on four-lane highways with a divided cut in the median.
High-tension cable barriers, which usually are set to absorb 9,000 pounds of tension, can deflect a vehicle as little as 8 feet.
Other stretches of highway throughout the state have concrete barriers or metal guard rails. The Mississippi Department of Transportation has also installed buffer endings on guard rails at bridges and overpasses.
The 30-mile stretch of Highway 82 in Lowndes and Oktibbeha County has an open median, which, for a heavily commuted road, is more likely to have fatal crossover accidents, Transportation Commissioner for North Mississippi Mike Tagert said.
“Our safety issues (throughout North Mississippi) have improved with the installation of guard rails and such, and that”s prevented some of the crossover accidents,” he added. “The cable system, however, is engineered with a lot of flexibility and should prevent even more accidents.”
The cable barrier system, unlike concrete barriers, is designed to absorb the force of a vehicle and direct it back into the ongoing traffic lane. Concrete barriers are more likely to result in vehicle flips that cause additional accidents, Tagert said.
“It also has a pretty substantial life span over the concrete barriers,” Tagert said.
The Highway 82 barrier project will cost a little more than $3 million, which is significantly cheaper than concrete barriers.
Highway 78 — future I-22 — and I-55 are other four-lanes in the northern district that will have the barriers installed and completed by the fall.
The project is 100-percent federally funded, so other states have begun installing cable barriers along their most frequently traveled highways.
Locally, the work is expected to be complete within three months.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
