By David Eck
Enquirer contributor

LEBANON - A traffic safety device that's new to the United States will be used to address a rash of fatal cross-over crashes on a notorious stretch of Interstate 75 in Butler and Warren counties.

Installation of a wire rope safety fence in the median of I-75, from Hamilton-Mason Road in Liberty Township to just south of Ohio 73 near Springboro, will begin in a few weeks and should be complete by April, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said on Friday. The work is not expected to affect traffic on the 14-mile stretch.

"They'll be doing everything from the shoulder," ODOT spokeswoman Brenda Bradds said. "It is a new procedure and we hope that it's going to save a lot of lives in the future"

The system, to cost just over $1 million, consists of four cables attached to posts. It is designed to keep a vehicle from crossing the median, guiding it back into its lane of travel, officials said.

Ohio will be only the third state in the United States to use the Brifen USA product. Oklahoma and Colorado have already installed the fence. The product has been used in about 30 countries, officials said.

"The success rate of the product ... is very high," said Daniel Mendel, an ODOT engineer. "We think that this is something that will catch on."

Officials have been reviewing safety on the stretch of highway after 11 accidents killed 14 people there from October 2000 to December 2001. Most of the crashes involved cars crossing the median into oncoming traffic.

The four safety options reviewed included installing concrete barriers, the wire safety fence, mounding and installing guardrail.

The fence was chosen in part because of its success rate, ease of maintenance and effectiveness in reducing vehicle damage, officials said.

"The maintenance costs are relatively low," Ms. Bradds said. "The cost of the product is actually reasonable. Vehicle damage in most cases is less compared to crossover accidents and (it) reduces or eliminates passenger trauma."

E-mail deck@fuse.net