ROGERS — A $5 million project to install cable barriers in the Interstate 540 median in Northwest Arkansas is more than halfway complete.
Officials say the 25-mile project should be finished by the end of the year.
Safety researchers have found that most fatal crashes on interstate highways involve vehicles that have crossed into opposite lanes of traffic. Where the barriers have been installed, fatal crashes have been sharply reduced.
The Northwest Arkansas Times reported that the project in Benton and Washington counties began with drainage work and pouring concrete to support the posts that will hold the cable. Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department officials say the project will take shape quickly once the posts are installed and the cable is strung.
Highways in Little Rock and north of West Memphis also have the barriers.