Bad School Bus Accident Shut Down I-81 This Morning

[KellyR]

One fatality, the driver of a car that crossed the medium. 6 Students with minor injuries.

http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-s...,3553926.story

[Willis]

In past years there have been many discussions about inadequate barriers between north and south bound lanes on I81. For the longest time all that separated the extremely dangerous section along the Martinsburg exits were 3 strands of cable. Now some areas have jersey barriers in place. Maybe it's time to think about adding them in more places. Are any barriers in place near the accident? What would the results have been if the Suburu had been a tractor and trailer?

[KellyR]

Are any barriers in place near the accident? What would the results have been if the Suburu had been a tractor and trailer?

The pics I saw on NBC 25 and the Journal show the medium as just grass, no barriers.

[Willis]

I'm reminded of the basic truism originated by George Santayana

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

Concrete barriers coming on I-81
August 14, 2009

By John McVey, Journal staff writer

MARTINSBURG - By the time construction is finished, it will have taken nearly 10 years for concrete barriers to be installed along the Interstate 81 median strip in the Martinsburg area.


Marvin Murphy, state highway engineer for the West Virginia Division of Highways, said in a telephone interview Thursday, that construction of the concrete barriers should begin in the spring or summer of 2010 and be finished by late fall of next year...


...Originally, DOH officials were not going to put up any kind of barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes, but acquiesced before community outcry and requests by local and state officials.


Installation of the three-cable barriers connected by posts was completed in spring 2002.


Berkeley County's commissioners at the time as well as then-Sheriff Randy Smith called for concrete Jersey wall-type barriers to be installed in the median strip of I-81. They argued the cables would not be substantial enough to keep larger vehicles from careening across the median into the path of oncoming traffic.


They were right. The cables were knocked down and torn up inumerable times, and several cars - even compact cars - went through the barriers, ending up in the opposite lanes. Fortunately, there were no serious accidents caused by cars or trucks running through the cables, officials said....

See the rest of the article HERE
Maybe it's time to demand additional barriers-substantial ones

[ministerswife]

This is so sad, and in my opinion one fatality is one too many but the powers on high don't see it that way. I know I've said this before, yet it seems it requires repeating. The state road commission, or who ever is in power, does not put up lights, barriers, etc., until “sufficient fatalities" occur. That is a direct quote. I don't know what they call “sufficient fatalities”, but it took twelve years to get a red light where we wanted it; and only after a twelve-year old (the last of many fatalities) was killed crossing the road did a red light go up. This is sad but true.

[LFE]

Seems like the right type of trees/bushes, in areas with enough room to support them (don't want things so tall that they fall into the road and become a problem) would be a lot better, and more cost effective means to help with this type of problem. They would cut down on head light glare, reduce winds/snow blowing, reduce the amount of grass that needs cuttings, are "green", are better to look at etc and so on.