Iowa to advance pace of cable-barrier installation

The Iowa Transportation Commission was scheduled to vote today to advance the state’s program to add median cable barrier on its highways, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Twelve people died on Iowa interstate highways in August because vehicles crossed the median and crashed into oncoming traffic. Transportation officials believe the cable barriers might have prevented some of those deaths. The commission will vote on whether to move up installations of cable barrier planned for 2012 into 2011.

“I don’t know of anyone ho would be voting against it,” Barry Cleaveland, one of the commissioners, told the Omaha World-Herald. “It will pass unanimously.”

Also part of the vote to amend the state highway department’s five-year budget are improvements to I-29 in Sioux City and three pavement preservation projects.

The money for the extra 2011 work comes from greater-than-expected federal aid and savings on 2010 projects.