A Guard Cable Safety Celebration ceremony was held today to help celebrate the installation of median guard cables along I-55 in Southeast Missouri. The ceremony was originally planned to be at the southbound Fruitland rest area where guard cable will soon be installed, but due to inclement weather, the event was moved to an indoor location at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Campus Nature Center.
Local communities, including area law enforcement and emergency responders, were invited to attend the special guard cable event. Guest speakers at the event included: Tom Schulte on behalf of U.S. Senator Kit Bond; Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. G. E. Ridens, Troop E; Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Dale Moreland, Troop E; Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson; Dr. Michael Heid, D.O., Medical Director of the Trauma Program for Saint Francis Medical Center; and MoDOT Southeast District Engineer Mark Shelton.
The special guard cable event was held to celebrate the safety improvements that are being seen along I-55 in Southeast Missouri. To improve safety across the state, MoDOT is installing median guard cable along hundreds of miles of high-traffic roadways with narrow medians. These guard cables have stopped more than 95 percent of vehicles from crossing into opposing traffic lanes-and because of this, lives are being saved. In addition to successfully reducing the severity of the crashes, median guard cables provide protection to emergency responders and are typically the most cost-effective safety barrier.
In the Southeast, guard cables are currently being installed along I-55 from Route E at Oak Ridge to I-57 at Sikeston. The $4,715,155 contract was awarded in April to Collins & Hermann, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. The I-55 project is anticipated for completion by the end of the year.
For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit http://www.savemolives.com/.
Editor's Note: Photo and photo information can be found at: www.modot.mo.gov/southeast/news_and_information/special_events.
