FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. — PennDOT officials say the RV involved in the deadly I-81 crash on Wednesday night was able to cross the median and into oncoming traffic through an emergency vehicle crossover.
"The vehicle did make some sort of impact with either the end cable or the anchor and proceeded through the crossover," said David Thompson, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 8.
The incident has sparked safety concerns about median barriers on Pennsylvania’s roadways, however, officials say the tragic incident was not due to a failure of the cable barrier in that stretch of I-81.
"Cable median barrier has proven to be very effective in reducing crossover crashes," said Thompson. "I want to be very clear about that, this is not an issue where the barrier failed."
They add it may have made a difference if the RV had hit the cable barrier directly.
"High tension median cable has some give to it," said Thompson. "It's designed to reduce the impact of the vehicle when it's hit."
PennDOT uses three types of barriers on its highways; cable barriers, metal-beam guardrails, and concrete barriers. Officials say a variety of factors are considered when deciding which kind of median is used on highways, including the size of the median and traffic volume.
"There's a number of factors that go into place when we consider that and our engineers are the ones that really decide what type of barrier is used," said Thompson.
As part of the I-81 improvement strategy, PennDOT says they are continuing to make improvements to that stretch of highway spanning from the Maryland state line through Lebanon County.
"We have been looking at ways to improve that corridor," said Thompson. "With our planning partners and consultants, [we will] gather input on how we can improve mobility and safety in that area."