How many more motorists must die from crossover accidents on Route 1 before the state puts barriers in medians south of Dover?
The Delaware Department of Transportation is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to accelerate travel on the southern stretches of Route 1, but seemingly balks at paying to make Route 1 safer. This is outrageous.
Federal guidelines do not require guardrails for medians more than 50 feet wide, which eliminates some on Route 1. However, that shouldn't preclude DelDOT from installing guardrails to prevent crossover crashes.
In July 2018, noting DelDOT figures, The News Journal reported nine fatal median crossover crashes that killed 13 people, including one the week before that killed five members of a New Jersey family, along Route 1 since 2005. How many others have been killed or injured in the five years since that article was published?
Two women died and a third was injured when the vehicle one was driving careened across the road and slammed into two cars May 6 on Route 1 outside Milton. A barrier in the median might have saved two lives.
State officials and other experts acknowledged in that article that cable median barriers can save lives, but because they are not required, the cost must be balanced against other DelDOT needs.
DelDOT needs to reexamine its priorities.
Instead of building multiple, unnecessary overpasses to hasten travelers' arrival at our beaches, DelDOT should spend that money to help them arrive alive.
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