Folks have expressed concern over the height of the barriers on the elevated, reversible lanes of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway as they see its construction progress.

Mainly, the concern is that if a high-profile SUV gets thrown up against the 32-inch barriers, what’s to keep it from plummeting over and landing on traffic passing below, causing injuries, likely deaths and certain traffic chaos.

The short answer is that under most circumstances, the standard barriers—named “Jersey barriers” because in profile they resemble the shape of the state—should be sufficient. To guarantee no vehicle could ever go over this structure might require barriers as high as six feet or taller, which would put way too much weight on the roadway—especially this structure with its single support columns which give it a somewhat delicate, even graceful appearance from below.

And, as the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority’s acting executive director, Ralph Mervine, points out, significantly taller barriers would ruin the view, which along much of the six-mile elevated roadway’s run is interesting, expansive and sometimes even scenic.

It would also seem as though people driving the speed limit and paying attention might be able to avoid leaping the barriers—at least for the six-mile elevated stretch.

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Oh, this brings me to the question on everyone’s mind hereabouts:

Have you any reservations at all about driving on—or under—the thing? Will you drive it anyway? In other words: How important is shaving upwards of 20 minutes from your commute from Brandon to downtown?