Mississippi Median Cables Get National Recognition

They’re called ugly, expensive and unnecessary.

The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation believe those miles of cable barriers on Mississippi highway medians reduce collisions and save lives.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation has been awarded the 2011 Roadway Safety Infrastructure Improvement prize.

Assistant state traffic engineer Jim Willis says the program began roughly one decade ago and since has erected 220 miles of cable fencing at a cost of about $100,000 per mile.

Willis says eventually, every divided highway in Mississippi will have cable barriers. Some 150 miles already have been identified for future phases of installation.