Photo courtesy of The Herald-Palladium, St. Joseph, MI.

June 30, 2009 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) today announced a three-year safety initiative involving high-tension cable barrier is already paying big dividends in the form of saving lives. Last week, a van carrying 10 church group members from Minnesota lost control on I-94 in Coloma and struck a section of the cable guardrail. The van rolled several times but never crossed the median into opposing traffic.

"Our new system did exactly what it was designed to do," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "By preventing the vehicle from crossing over the median, our cable guardrail system is proving its worth. While 10 people were hurt in the crash, there were no fatalities and the lives of innocent people on both sides of the roadway were protected."

MDOT began the three-year process of installing 280 miles of the new cable after a median crash analysis done on hundreds of miles of Michigan roadways identified high-crash locations as candidates for the new cable barrier system.

"The Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) in Washington, D.C., will soon begin a radio campaign targeted at Michigan motorists. Their public service announcements will focus on the benefits of our cable guardrail system and how it will save lives and reduce injuries," added Steudle. "MDOT is one of only six recipients nationwide to receive a grant from the RSF to publicize our safety efforts. We are grateful for their assistance."

MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.