HR0927 LRB095 16576 LCT 44816 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Steel cable strung in highway medians is a
3 low-cost safety device that is proving phenomenally effective
4 at saving lives, perhaps more so than steel-beam or concrete
5 barriers; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Steel-beam, concrete, and cable barriers all cut
7 down on accidents in which cars cross over into oncoming
8 traffic; cable, however, also cuts down on the number of
9 rebound accidents in which a vehicle hits a barrier and bounces
10 back into traffic; and cable performs better than other
11 barriers when installed on the moderately sloping terrain
12 common to many existing medians; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Because cable barriers are considerably cheaper,
14 states can install them in medians where motorists had no
15 protection before; cable costs about 30% less than steel and
16 50% less than concrete; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Several other states have installed cable
18 barriers and have had dramatic drops in fatalities and injuries
19 from crossover accidents; Missouri saw a 92% decrease, down to
20 only 2 deaths, in 2006, after the state installed cable
21 barriers along Interstate 70; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0927 - 2 - LRB095 16576 LCT 44816 r

1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3 request that the Department of Transportation conduct a study
4 on the advisability of expanding the use of cable barriers in
5 Illinois and report its findings and recommendations to the
6 General Assembly no later than July 1, 2009; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 delivered to the Secretary of Transportation.