SOURCES: Indiana Department of Transportation and Trinity Industries. Staff graphic by Bill Thornbro
The Indiana Department of Transportation is conducting a statewide assessment of guardrail products suspected of having a defect that could cause them to jam and pierce vehicles.
A growing number of states have banned the use of Trinity Industries’ ET-Plus guardrail head, according to reports from the New York Times and other news outlets. The company was found by a federal jury to have defrauded the Federal Highway Administration by secretly changing the design, and the agency has now directed the company to conduct new crash safety tests.
The Indiana Department of Transportation doesn’t know precisely how many ET-Plus guardrail end terminals are on Indiana roadways, but estimates about 4,000, said spokesman Will Wingfield. He said the department is looking through hundreds of crash records, but so far has found no evidence that the products have malfunctioned in Indiana.
“The statewide assessment will inform what further action is taken,” Wingfield said. “Even though the product continues to be approved for use, Trinity took the step to stop shipping them three weeks ago. No new ones are being installed.”
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