How they work
High tension cable median barriers are flexible barriers placed between opposing directions of traffic on high speed, divided highways. Their purpose is to reduce crash severity and prevent deadly head-on collisions.
They cost less to install and fix than concrete or steel barriers and can be repaired quickly. The cables also help absorb the impact during a crash, which can reduce the force on people in the vehicle.
The barriers usually include three or four high tension steel cables mounted on posts along the median. When a vehicle hits the barrier, the posts break and soften the impact. The vehicle is then redirected along the median, preventing a median crossover crash, or stops the vehicle from re-entering the road.
Motorcyclist benefit
Motorcyclists benefit from cable median barriers by keeping other vehicles from crossing the median into their path.
Results
High tension cable median barrier is proven to be one of the most effective tools available for reducing fatal and life changing head-on crashes. A 2022 MnDOT evaluation of these barriers found a 62% reduction in median-related fatal and serious injury crashes after the barrier was installed.
There are some places where cable median barriers can’t be used, but we’re installing them in locations where the risk of cross-median crashes is highest. With increasing traffic volumes, the risk of cross-over median crashes rises, and high-tension cable median barriers help mitigate that risk.
Although there has been an increase in property-damage crashes involving HTCMB near the roadway edge, we believe this is an acceptable tradeoff given the barrier’s effectiveness in preventing fatal and serious-injury crashes.