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It was  encouraging  to learn  that high strength cabling  is in the works for the section of Route 1 that saw a  work truck cross over a wide median. Dead are five of six members of a New Jersey family.

As noted in this space yesterday, cables have been installed over the years, with one reader reporting that he witnessed the system stop  a tractor-trailer that could have caused a potentially catastrophic accident.

Despite, criticism from some self-appointed experts,  the cables work well when properly installed. Better yet, the system is less expensive.

While the installations will move forward, there seem to be no plans to speed up the process. That stance drew withering fire on social media for good reason.

DelDOT officials will never say that money is an issue, but it is clear that dollars have to be stretched. 

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 Delaware, unlike its neighbors, has not raised gas taxes in years. Legislators,  knowing that normally placid constituents would raise a stink, punted on the issue. 

 At the same time, vehicles are gaining fuel efficiency, leaving the state with flat transportation revenues.

It makes unrelated projects like the millions spent on a bicycle bridge over the Christina River in Wilmington stick out like sore thumbs.  

One can go back to the   $900 million   Route 1  project from the 1990s to gain some perspective.  While badly needed, the project put a strain on finances at a time when other bridges and highways were deteriorating.  

The new four-lane also led to subdivisions springing up along its route. The result, when combined with beach and through traffic, led to the congestion and the accident-related gridlock we see today.

While the Route 1  project met the standards of its time,  it is clear that guard rails and later cabling should have been part of the original work.

That said, we have all been remiss in failing to insist that legislators and the governor that safety comes first, even if we have to pay a little more at the pump.  Here’s a contact list if you wish to let your views be known.Doug Rainey and Sharon Rainey

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