In the wee hours of Sept. 13, a lone motorist headed south on Hwy. 169 missed a curve while approaching Crosstown Hwy. 62 in Edina and veered into the center median.
When guardrails are damaged, who pays and when are they fixed?
MnDOT spent nearly $9 million on 3,000 guardrail repairs in the metro district last year, with the average fix costing $3,046.60
October 29, 2023 at 8:20PM
A Minnesota Department of Transportation camera captured the crash that ended with the vehicle rolling over and getting caught on a guardrail between two overpasses, stopping it from plunging onto the highway below.
The driver, who had a blood-alcohol content of .20% — more than twice the legal limit for driving — was injured but survived the wreck, according to a State Patrol crash report.
Two weeks later, with the guardrail unrepaired, a similar crash happened about the same time of day — 3 a.m. — in the same location. With nothing to stop momentum, the truck continued through the opening vacated by the guardrail and nosedived onto the Crosstown below. The driver survived but was injured, a State Patrol crash report states.
The two incidents had a Drive reader asking how long MnDOT has to fix damaged guardrails and who pays.
MnDOT uses the steel barriers to make roads safer for motorists and their function is to protect vehicle occupants from hazards and reduce the severity of a crash, said spokesman Ricardo Lopez.
Guardrails typically are placed on the sides of state highways in areas that have steep slopes or drop-offs that cannot be filled in or flattened to allow room for drivers to recover should they leave the road. They also are used to shield drivers from fixed hazards that cannot be moved, such as bridge piers.
MnDOT does not have a specific timetable to repair damaged guardrails, but the agency does its best to make fixes quickly, Lopez said.
"We often place a temporary barrier until we can make full repairs to the permanent guardrail," he said.
Weather, snow and ice events, or other pressing issues such as potholes and road buckles impacting the driving lanes can also impact how fast fixes are made, Lopez said.
With thousands of miles of roads, MnDOT isn't always the first to know about damaged guardrails, and the agency relies on the public to report issues. Motorists can use MnDOT's online form to report a pothole or roadside issue.
Last year in MnDOT's Metro District, which covers the seven counties in the Twin Cities plus Chisago County, crews made 2,948 guardrail repairs, the agency said.
When MnDOT infrastructure is damaged, the party responsible for the damage is required to pay for it, Lopez said.
To identify those at fault, MnDOT often relies on crash reports filed by State Troopers. The reports include an incident number and what is called a yellow tag number, which indicates property damage caused by a motorist. Both drivers who crashed on Hwy. 169 got yellow tags and are being billed.
When MnDOT is unable to identify a responsible party, the agency will absorb the cost and fix the damaged guardrail.
MnDOT spent nearly $9 million on guardrail repair in the metro district last year, with the average fix costing $3,046.60, Lopez said.
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