AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine is among 40 states that have suspended use of the ET-Plus guardrail system over safety concerns and in response to lawsuits filed after collisions with the guardrails in other states.
Maine Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt says the state is waiting for tests being done to determine the safety of the guardrail system.
"We have not had any issue with it," Bernhardt says. "We are not going to put any new up just because we want to see how the tests come out. We are going to make sure that if we have to take some down because the tests show it is not going to work, we'll take it down and put up new."
The concern centers on a part of the guardrail that is supposed to reduce injuries and deaths, but which has broken off on impact, allowing the guardrail to run through vehicles.
While several studies are underway, one has indicated the ET-Plus guardrail system is four times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than an earlier system.
