Workers finish installing I-65 barriers in NW Ind.

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — Workers have finished installing 30 miles of safety cable barriers along Interstate 65 from Jasper County to Crown Point.

Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Jim Pinkerton tells the Post-Tribune of Merrillville that the barriers will prevent out-of-control vehicles from hitting oncoming traffic.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. pushed for the $4.4 million cable barrier project, saying he saw the cables in Marion County but not in northwestern Indiana. McDermott believes the system will save lives.

The transportation department says the barriers are popular with law enforcement and motorists.