Guardrails at Center of Virginia Road Controversy

The state of Virginia is getting serious about the safety of its roadways.

Concerned over the safety of Trinity Industries’ guardrails, Virginia has threatened to stop buying them and is considering removing them if the company doesn’t conduct new tests to prove their safety. According to a letter sent to the company, Virginia told Trinity that state transportation officials did not believe Trinity had properly tested the end of a guardrail it redesigned in 2005. Virginia is requesting that Trinity conducts new tests in the presence of Virginia officials in addition to providing proof to the state’s Transportation Department by October 24. Otherwise, the state will ban the product.

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This isn’t the first time that Trinity’s guardrails have been at the center of controversy with other states such as Missouri and Massachusetts raising the same concerns. The guardrail, which is known as the ET-Plus, has been accused of turning into a spear when struck head-on. The changes made to the ET-Plus were allegedly not disclosed to federal regulators for seven years. Lawsuits have blamed the guardrails for five deaths and more injuries in at least 14 accidents in the U.S.

[Source: The New York Times]