Marysville cable barriers don’t work, expert says

Published 11:36 pm Tuesday, June 26, 2007

MARYSVILLE – Cable barriers along a deadly stretch of freeway near Marysville must go, according to an out-of-state expert hired by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Instead, the state should try to prevent head-on cross-over accidents by turning 10 miles of the median along I-5 into a continuous concrete barrier, according to one of the nation’s top experts on freeway safety.

The project could cost up to $28 million, but at least one top transportation official in the state wants the work done immediately.

The report’s conclusions will not be released by state officials until July 2.

The Herald learned of the findings from state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, who like the governor, was briefed last week.

A total of eight people have died in cross-over crashes along that stretch of I-5 since 2000. The state faces lawsuits from grief-stricken families seeking millions of dollars in damages.

Concrete barriers should be installed as quickly as possible, said Haugen, D-Camano Island.

Finding money to put in concrete barriers “will be my priority” during the next legislative session, Haugen said.

It’s going to happen, she said, adding “I’m the chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee.”

Haugen said she spoke with Gregoire, and is convinced the governor intends to heed the expert’s advice.

The state in March hired Malcolm Ray, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. He is considered one of the nation’s top experts on freeway median safety.

Haugen hopes construction will start in summer 2008, but permitting and design issues could cause delays. She said she asked the governor to have state transportation engineers start designing the median now and she’ll work on getting the money from lawmakers.

“The urgency is to save lives in the future,” Haugen said. “Nothing will make the families who have lost loved ones whole again. All you can do is give them some assurances that someone else won’t have to go through what they did.”

Gregoire on Monday told The Herald that she was briefed last week on Ray’s findings. She did not provide details on his specific recommendations.

The state Department of Transportation on Tuesday declined to discuss the report’s recommendations.

“We’re still finalizing the report,” transportation department spokesman Travis Phelps said. “We will release it to the public” in early July.

State traffic engineers have been strong supporters of cable barriers. Their accident records – and Ray’s report – show the cables have worked well in Washington, except near Marysville.

Haugen said she worries that the anticipated $28 million price tag may be too high, and could take money away from other projects, such as stopping crossover accidents on U.S. 2.

Haugen said transportation officials said that I-5 would need to be widened to make room for the concrete barrier.

Gregoire ordered an external review of the state’s use of cable barriers in February after Cliff Warren of Everett was killed in a crossover accident.

Warren died shortly after the state installed a second strand of cable barriers in Marysville. The second strand was supposed to stop the abnormally high number of fatal crossover accidents in Marysville, state traffic engineers said.

The state has invested heavily in cable barriers, maintaining that they are safer than concrete barrier or steel guardrail.

It spent $8.8 million to install 80 miles of cables in eight counties between fall 2005 and late summer 2006. The work included adding a new section of cable barrier along I-5 from north of Stanwood to Mount Vernon.

Ray’s critique of cable barriers isn’t the first time their use in Marysville and Washington state has been scrutinized.

The state conducted its own investigation into the effectiveness of cable barriers after a 2005 analysis by The Herald showed that along a 3-mile stretch of I-5 in Marysville, the barriers failed to stop cars in the median 20 percent of the time.

That was in sharp contrast to statewide results that showed the cables stopped cars more than 90 percent of the time, the analysis found.

The state also studied, and in Marysville concluded, that a ditch in the median allowed smaller vehicles to slip beneath the cables 13 times between 1999 and 2005, including one fatal accident.

Most of the fatal accidents, however, have involved large vehicles, including in one instance a large truck towing a trailer. The vehicles have sliced through the cables, crossed the median and smashed into oncoming traffic.

Washington State Patrol officials say Marysville is among the worst locations for speeding in the state.

Haugen said a concrete barrier will not bring an end to fatal accidents along I-5, particularly if drivers continue to speed.

“People have to realize you can’t continue to drive like that,” she said.

Still, concrete barriers should sharply reduce the number of people who are suddenly confronted by vehicles zooming across the median at freeway speeds, Haugen said.

“It would save the innocent victim driving on the other side of the road,” she said.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.