Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 35 will encounter a left lane closure between Freeborn County Road 35 and Albert Lea beginning Monday, as construction crews install high tension cable barrier, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Southbound I-35 will be reduced to one lane through the work zone to allow road construction work, work on the shoulder and in the median. Delays are possible, so motorists should plan ahead based on time of day and level of traffic using the road.

This will be the final stretch of cable median barrier to be installed on I-35 in southern Minnesota, meaning that motorists will be protected from the Iowa border to just south of the Twin Cities by this low-cost, highly effective safety tool.

Lane closures for this project will not occur between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3 to allow for the Labor Day holiday. Crews will resume construction on Sept. 4.

H & R Construction of South City, Nebraska, is the prime contractor on the $770,000 project.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in early October, weather permitting.

To learn more about cable median barriers and the role they play in traffic safety in Minnesota, go to www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/reports/cmbarrier.html.

Cable median barriers can reduce fatal crashes by 95 percent. The barriers are made of three or four steel cables strung on posts. When a car hits the barrier, the posts break and the cables flex, absorbing much of a crash’s kinetic energy. This redirects the vehicle along the median, preventing a cross-median crash.

Maintenance crews can repair the damaged section quickly and the cable barriers cost less than permanent concrete barriers.

MnDOT urges motorists to always be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.