HR0927 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0927 LRB095 16576 LCT 44816 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Steel cable strung in highway medians is a low-cost safety device that is proving phenomenally effective at saving lives, perhaps more so than steel-beam or concrete barriers; and

WHEREAS, Steel-beam, concrete, and cable barriers all cut down on accidents in which cars cross over into oncoming traffic; cable, however, also cuts down on the number of rebound accidents in which a vehicle hits a barrier and bounces back into traffic; and cable performs better than other barriers when installed on the moderately sloping terrain common to many existing medians; and

WHEREAS, Because cable barriers are considerably cheaper, states can install them in medians where motorists had no protection before; cable costs about 30% less than steel and 50% less than concrete; and

WHEREAS, Several other states have installed cable barriers and have had dramatic drops in fatalities and injuries from crossover accidents; Missouri saw a 92% decrease, down to only 2 deaths, in 2006, after the state installed cable barriers along Interstate 70; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we request that the Department of Transportation conduct a study on the advisability of expanding the use of cable barriers in Illinois and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than July 1, 2009; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Secretary of Transportation.