Efforts Underway To Make Highway 12 Safer For Motorists
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A safety coalition is working to make Highway 12 safer for drivers after several fatal and head-on crashes.
Last month, crews added centerline rubber polls to help keep drivers from crossing over on the six-mile stretch between Maple Plain and Delano.
Crews also put a new innovative warning system to let drivers know when the roads are getting slippery.
"The system is the first of its kind for the state of Minnesota," said Ralph Adair, MnDOT, RTMC Integration Engineer. "We've never deployed a system this large with this many sensors to cover a segment this long. What it really is, is a sensor-based system that measures the friction of the pavement with lasers."
"We have two dynamic message signs on either end, as well as some additional static signs with yellow flashing beacons on them that will all turn on as one if any of those ten sensors in the area determine that it's slipperier than normal."
Officials hope the new technology will help keep drivers safer.