Cable barriers: Saving lives one wire at a time

SHELBY COUNTY — The Ohio Department of Transportation says drivers in Shelby County will soon see more than 20 miles of new cable barrier.

"Really, it's a safety issue," said Mandi Dillon with ODOT.

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At a cost of $95,000 per mile, cable barriers are already installed in many stretches of interstate, but not everywhere.

ODOT says any part of the interstate with less than 59-feet for a median, will eventually see a cable barrier.

"It can sort of capture a vehicle. There is some research that shows that there have been less injuries in those crossover incidents where there's cable barrier compared to guardrail or wall," Dillon said.

Heather Bayman is a mother of two, living in Piqua.

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She lost her son Nick James Bayman in September of 2018 after state troopers say he crossed the median on I-75 in Shelby County, hitting an oncoming semi-truck and SUV.

Bayman was a 21-year-old college student studying bio-medical engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

"He at one point said he wanted to go into brain-controlled prosthetics," Bayman said.

ODOT officials say if all goes as planned, miles of cable barriers should be complete within the next year.

"Even one crash is one crash too many. We see this all the time and so we are always doing everything we can to try and make our roadways safer," Dillon said.

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As for Bayman, she can't help but wish the barriers were installed sooner.

"I heard it was a couple of days after is accident that they started doing this. I know that if the barricade was there, Nick would still be with us today."