MARYSVILLE – How can a cable barrier in a ditch prevent a vehicle from crossing through the I-5 median into oncoming traffic?
That was the question John Holschen asked a panel of experts that gathered in Marysville on Monday night to talk about the spotty safety record of cable barriers that run along the I-5 median between Marysville and Smokey Point.
Dan Bates / The Herald
“To the lay person, it appears the barrier may be misapplied in the (location) where a vehicle came through and struck my family,” Holschen said.
One of his daughters died in a Dec. 15 crash that also severely injured his wife and younger daughter after the cable barrier failed along that section of freeway.
Holschen was among about 50 members of the public who gathered to hear some of the state’s top transportation and patrol officials discuss the safety of cable barriers.
The meeting was called by state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen of Camano Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee.
The public learned that the State Patrol has dramatically stepped up patrols in the area, more so since the speed limit was reduced to 60 mph from 70 mph July 1.
They learned that the state Department of Transportation is studying every accident that has occurred along those 10 miles of highway since 1999.
They heard the state plans to have a full report on that investigation by fall, a report that state Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald promised would be used to propose a remedy.
Possible solutions include installing a second cable barrier (so there would be one on each edge of the freeway), a traditional steel guardrail or a concrete barrier.
Although a cable barrier is cheaper than other options, the state will remove it if the investigation proves there is a safer way to go, MacDonald said.
“To save lives, we will find the money, somehow,” MacDonald said.
The cables in the current barrier are about the same diameter as a dime. Three cables are hooked to metal posts buried 21/2 feet in the ground. The top cable is 30 inches from the ground, low enough that it can be stepped over by most adults.
An analysis by The Herald of Transportation Department accident data for the stretch of I-5 north of Marysville found that cable barriers stopped 91 percent of cars that hit them between 1999 and 2004, something the DOT illustrated at the meeting with a large graphic.
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Superimposing accident sites on a series of aerial photographs, the state showed that from 1999 to 2004, 137 crashes were reported along the 10-mile stretch of cable barriers on I-5 north of Marysville.
Contrary to the perception that the cables aren’t working, the state showed the cables snagged 91 percent of the cars that veered into the median, preventing crossover accidents.
The Herald’s analysis showed the cables don’t always work that well, however.
Between mileposts 205 and 208, the barriers failed to stop cars in the median 20 percent of the time, according to state data. Crashes there ended four lives between 2000 and 2004.
The driving public wanted to know why those accidents were happening, something the state preliminarily has linked to increased congestion in the area, especially near overpasses where slow and fast traffic mix.
“Why don’t you get busy and fix the congestion?” Rich Greenshields of Marysville asked.
Richard Jones of Camano Island wanted to know how the vehicles are getting through the cable barrier. Upon learning that they go through, over and under them, he said, “double it up then.”
Jim Cummins of Arlington said he has taken to avoiding that section of I-5 in recent months.
“I thought those were cables were a hitching post when I first saw them,” said Cummins, referring to the posts used to tie up horses. “I’m taking a lot more side routes now.”
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