EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Texas Department of Transportation has opened El Paso’s and Texas’ first mechanical runaway truck ramp.
The ramp is the first of its kind installed in the state and provides a safety option for vehicles that lose their brakes closer to Interstate 10 through the left lane of Loop 375 westbound, according to TxDOT.
“Unlike other runaway truck ramps on Transmountain, this truck arresting system was constructed in the median due to the narrow footprint available at that location,” TxDOT El Paso District Engineer Tomas Trevino said. “It detains vehicles in tight roadway geometry such as the area closer to IH10.”
TxDOT stated that the mechanical system utilizes eight energy-absorbing net stations, anchored into reinforced concrete walls, which are designed to safely stop a 90,000-pound truck traveling at 90 miles per hour…