WTHR |INDOT to install more cable barriers along I-65

INDOT to install more cable barriers along I-65

Clinton County - A five-month-old baby girl is dead and her mother is in stable condition after the car they were in crossed over the median into oncoming traffic. It happened Sunday evening on Interstate 65 near Frankfort.

Last week further north near Lafayette, another crossover accident killed a 22-year-old Purdue University Student when he crashed head-on into this semi. It's unclear if a cable barrier would have prevented those accidents but Department of Transportation officials are hopeful that future deaths can be prevented.

"We have found them to be highly effective and plan on installing them around the state," said Debbie Calder, INDOT.

Because there were so many crossover accidents, Boone County was selected as a test site for the cable barrier. In an eight-month period, 69 vehicles, including a semi, were prevented from crossing into oncoming traffic.

"There was one year we had 14 fatalities on the interstate without the cable barrier. The following year with the cable barrier installed, we dropped that down to three, so it made a dramatic difference for us," said Major Mike Nielsen, Boone County Sheriff's Department.

Currently 38 miles of central Indiana interstate is divided with a cable barrier. That's phase one. INDOT says phase two will include another 150 miles to be installed by the end of the year. Phase three includes additional stretches of highway under consideration for the safety fence.

"The first phase was for the experimental phase. Phase two is what is happening this year and those areas were found to have the most accidents and so we're targeting that area first," said Calder.

"I believe that they should be on any interstate that has a drivable median through it. It prevents accidents fro occuring and it also prevents fatalities and serious injuries," said Nielsen.

At $100,000 a mile, the barriers aren't cheap. But it may be the price to prevent future tragedies.