Good Question: Why aren’t guide rails being fixed?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This good question is about something that’s supposed to keep us safe while we’re driving.

As one of you pointed out, it’s not hard to find broken guide rails on local roadways. Whether they’re broken from accidents or from regular wear and tear, there are a lot of them.

When will they be repaired and what does it mean for your safety on the roads? Here’s what I learned. On 390, 490, and 590, there are broken roadside barriers, leaving a viewer named Kelly saying this:

“They are either just broken or maybe they have orange cones to alert drivers. Any short drive on a highway is bound to find numerous examples and it has been this way for years now. Why aren’t they being fixed in a timely matter? Is it a funding issue or a manpower issue? And more importantly, what type of risk does this pose to the safety of drivers/passengers traveling on these roads?”

I contacted the New York State Department of Transportation with these concerns, and got this statement in response:

“The New York State Department of Transportation undertakes guiderail repairs as part of our day-to-day maintenance activities.”

So, the broken guide rails are at least on the DOT’s radar. I asked the DOT if there was a maintenance schedule or even a rough estimate of when some of the Rochester-area guide rails would be repaired – still waiting to hear back about that.

In the meantime, there is an online form you can fill out to let the DOT know about any guide rail issues you see while we’re driving.

If you have a good question, send it to us at goodquestion@whec.com