High-tension cable barrier failure closes I-41 in Fond du Lac County

A portion of I-41 in Fond du Lac County was closed for an hour and a half Sunday morning, while law enforcement and Fond du Lac Highway Department members tended to an issue with the high-tension cable barriers in the center median.

At around 8:15 a.m., a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper discovered the incident when he noticed a highway sign knocked over on the southbound side of the interstate between Highway 151 and Hickory Street.

Investigation showed one of the cables snapped, and the sudden release of the high tension caused the cable to whip back with enough force to shear the post of the sign.

It wasn’t clear what caused the cable to snap, so with an abundance of caution, the highway was closed to traffic until the highway department could fix the snapped cable, and ensure no other cables were going to fail.

A detour was temporarily set up until the highway was reopened at 9:50 a.m.