Pennsylvania Tackles Crossover Car Accidents

December 2009

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is installing a new type of median barrier along certain highways in Allegheny and Beaver counties. The barrier is expected to reduce the number of crossover accidents in the region.

The barrier consists of four strands of high-tension cable strung between metal posts. It can behave like baseball glove, catching a vehicle and preventing it from crossing the median into oncoming traffic. A few sections of new barrier have been installed along I-376 from the McClaren Road exit past Pittsburgh International Airport as well as on the Parkway North. PennDOT is hoping to begin installation on I-79 from Bridgeville to Route 60 and along Route 28 in Harmar.

The technology has existed for more than 20 years but was only introduced in Allegheny County last year. Washington state, which has almost 200 miles of the cable barrier, reported a 59 percent drop in fatal and serious crashes across medians this year. Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas reported similar results.