IDOT Not Tending To All Of Its Busted Crash Barrels
(CBS) -- Broken and battered safety barrels that are supposed to protect drivers.
In spite of promises for repair, a month after CBS 2 pointed them out to the state's transportation agency, many have yet to be touched.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole.
Broken safety barrels have toppled over, with sand spilled onto the roadway. It's a scene virtually unchanged from what we found one month ago at the very same spot leading up to the Jane Byrne Interchange.
The Kennedy's outbound Addison exit was still littered with sand and battered barrels, a bit more cleaned up but still not much different from last month. CBS 2's then pointed out over a dozen similar situations to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
IDOT promised to make repairs within days.
Called "crash cushions," the sand-filled barrels are placed around potential hazards, such as concrete exit walls, to absorb the shock of a potential accident. Manufacturers say without them, a crash at speeds as low as 37 mph could result in death.
Since the earlier report, IDOT has addressed the situation at six Chicago locations, installing more than 50 barrels. But the department says it's waiting for a shipment to arrive next week before it can tend to the other locations.