A national guardrail safety advocate is calling on Connecticut leaders to conduct a statewide audit of guardrails after identifying what he says are more than 100 potentially dangerous installations across the state.
Background
Stephen Eimers, widely known as “The Guardrail Guy,” recently visited Connecticut, where he urged Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to do more to address guardrail safety. Eimers said he and a local man he identified as Richie have documented more than 100 guardrails with issues, including upside-down installations and what he described as “Frankenstein” guardrails assembled or repaired with mismatched parts.
Eimers has spent the past decade advocating for safer guardrails after his daughter, Hannah, was killed in a crash involving a guardrail back in 2016.
“This is an everywhere issue and everywhere in-between issue,” Eimers said.
Response from CTDOT
CTDOT provided a statement in response to NBC Connecticut’s request for comment. A spokesperson said, “CTDOT has received information from Mr. Eimers and is reviewing the list of guiderail concerns that he expressed. Anytime someone contacts CTDOT with a possible safety concern, it is investigated. Roadside safety is a priority, and several locations shared by Mr. Eimers have already been addressed. Any remaining locations will be assessed and addressed through our inspection and maintenance process.”
Eimers said his advocacy has led to guardrails being updated, repaired or audited across the United States and around the world.
“I’m not here just to change a guardrail; I’m here to change a culture,” Eimers said.
Eimers said he is asking Connecticut to take two steps: repair the guardrails that have already been identified as problematic and conduct a statewide audit to identify any additional issues.
According to Eimers, Maryland, Virginia and Vermont are among the states that have already completed guardrail audits following requests.
Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.
