Currently, the country faces a crisis on its roadways. In 2023, an estimated 40,990 people across the Nation—113 people per day—lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes. As a result, a key priority at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration is making the Nation’s transportation system safe for all users.

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is the core Federal-aid program with the purpose of reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. However, this dedicated source of safety funds is relatively small, representing only about 6 percent of the total annual Federal-Aid Highway Program. While FHWA and its Federal, State, local, and Tribal partner agencies have advanced the expertise of highway safety through HSIP, the funding available through it alone will not entirely achieve the goal of zero fatalities on the Nation’s roadways—an ambitious, long-term goal.
 

In 2022, USDOT released the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), a comprehensive roadmap to significantly reduce severe injuries and deaths on highways, roads, and streets. The roadmap was an important step in working toward the elimination of roadway fatalities. As part of NRSS, USDOT adopted the Safe System Approach as the guiding paradigm to address roadway safety. The Safe System Approach focuses on both human mistakes and human vulnerability and designs a redundant system to prevent crashes and reduce the potential for serious injury or death. A commitment to zero traffic deaths means addressing all aspects of safety by following the six Safe System principles and addressing the five Safe System elements that create a holistic safety approach for road users.

The Safe System Approach involves a paradigm shift to improve safety culture; ensure equity; increase collaboration between multiple stakeholders; refocus transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes; and lessen impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives. Hence, safety should be considered in an agency’s transportation investment decisions, from planning and programming to project design, construction, operations, and maintenance. More specifically, every transportation project provides an opportunity to improve safety; transportation-related agencies, practitioners, stakeholders, and advocates can work together to identify and incorporate changes to improve safety throughout the project development process.
 

Among the many opportunities to consider safety in project development is the environmental review process, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a procedural statute requiring Federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions before making decisions. However, safety is often one of many tradeoffs (such as environmental stewardship, traffic operations, right-of-way constraints, costs, etc.) that transportation agencies must review and balance during transportation decisionmaking.

In 2011, FHWA published the Integrating Road Safety into NEPA Analysis: Practitioner’s Primer to help practitioners understand the noteworthy practices for analyzing and addressing project safety issues during each stage of the NEPA process. Since the development of the primer, crash data collection has improved, data-driven tools and strategies for assessing safety performance have become more sophisticated, and safety planning processes have advanced.

There are many tools, methods, policies, and procedures to assess and analyze the safety performance of roadways and other transportation projects. They include:

• Predictive methodologies such as the Highway Safety Manual (HSM).
• Systemic approach.
• Safe System Approach frameworks.
• Road safety audits (RSAs) and other formal qualitative examinations.

Integrating Safety into NEPA Reviews

Based on 23 U.S. Code 109(h), it is FHWA policy to “assure that possible adverse economic, social, and environmental effects relating to any proposed project on any Federal-aid system have been fully considered in developing such project, and that the final decisions on the project are made in the best overall public interest, taking into consideration the need for fast, safe and efficient transportation, public services, and the costs of eliminating or minimizing such adverse effects.” Since transportation agencies differ in how they characterize the project development process, the phases in the process, and the functions performed in each phase, a generalized process, or project life cycle, is an opportunity for professionals to evaluate the environmental impacts and integrate safety and efficiency considerations alongside their own agency’s approach.

Safety performance considerations can inform transportation decision-making during a project’s planning and environmental review processes for all NEPA classes of action and at each stage of the NEPA process. Such considerations include:

• Safety analyses prior to the NEPA process, particularly during project planning.
• Input from safety stakeholders during public outreach and project scoping.
• RSAs and safety analysis techniques to identify and address substantive safety problems and compare project alternatives.
• Transportation system users, including those likely to be more vulnerable in crashes (i.e., pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair.... and transit users).
• Opportunities for safety mitigation and going above and beyond required mitigations to enhance safety for all roadway users.

Improving safety performance and environmental protection should not be regarded as competing public interests during highway project development and environmental review. It is possible to plan, design, and implement roadway projects that improve both safety and environmental outcomes.

While there are practical and statutory connections between NEPA and the roadway safety management process, these connections are not always implemented at an institutional level. In 2023, FHWA developed a series of four case studies that present examples from around the United States of how safety can be incorporated into NEPA reviews. The following case studies exemplify roadway projects where Federal investments have improved safety for all users of the transportation system and achieved better environmental outcomes.
 

North Dakota’s U.S. Highway 85 (U.S. 85) Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

In the early 2010s, North Dakota experienced an economic boom due to the expansion of the oil and gas industry in the western part of the State. This economic engine spurred population and traffic growth (including heavy truck traffic) throughout North Dakota, but these impacts have strained rural communities and their transportation infrastructure. In response, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) proposed widening the 62-mile corridor of U.S. 85 and replacing the Long X Bridge to meet the needs of the growing and shifting traffic patterns on this economically critical connection.

NDDOT and FHWA, as joint lead agencies, issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in October 2015. Safety was a core component of the U.S. 85 project early on, from a key consideration in project scoping to preparing the EIS.

Public engagement revealed numerous first-hand accounts, primarily from individuals who have observed improper passing, speeding, wildlife-vehicle collisions, and other near-miss incidents along the corridor. These revelations allowed NDDOT to address safety proactively and accommodate other stakeholder needs rather than waiting for crash data to reflect the emerging conditions.
 

By incorporating safety early in the process through public and stakeholder involvement, NDDOT developed a defined need for safety as part of the expansion project, encouraging the data-driven evaluation of project alternatives. As part of the alternatives analysis, NDDOT used the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) software, a decision-support tool that applies the predictive models of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ HSM, to evaluate the safety performance of design decisions. The results of the analysis helped justify an alternative that considered safety as part of the environmental review. Although IHSDM is not yet widely used by NDDOT, the agency’s experience showed its potential for multi-disciplinary planning. NDDOT plans to use IHSDM and the HSM in future project development.

Matt Linneman, NDDOT’s deputy director for engineering, shared the benefits of this approach, noting that “Safety is our priority at NDDOT, and we build it into all of our infrastructure projects. Our approach to delivering projects and gathering meaningful public involvement, validated safety as a key need for the U.S. 85 project. The quantitative safety analysis was very beneficial and furthered our justification for alternative selection, which also paved the way for a smoother permitting process.” Proactive planning allowed NDDOT to arrive at a design that accommodated both the safety and environmental needs of the project.

Kentucky’s Second Street Corridor (U.S. Route 60) Complete Streets and Road Diet Project

Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital city, received Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) funds in 2018 to implement Complete Streets elements along U.S. Route 60, including a road diet and streetscape enhancements. A road diet involves reducing the number of through lanes on an existing roadway and reallocating the remaining space to other uses (bicycle lanes, sidewalks, parking, etc.).

The corridor’s pre-project conditions included a narrow four-lane roadway, high vehicle speeds, long crossing lengths, and limited multimodal facilities, which caused safety concerns for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users. Thus, the project’s objective was to create a safer travel experience for all users as well as boost economic development in a distressed neighborhood and allow for placemaking opportunities.

Public engagement was a key element early in the project development process. Such engagement included the visioning exercises associated with a corridor study completed as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greening America’s Communities (formerly known as Greening America’s Capitals) program grant, a series of 23 stakeholder meetings, and a robust email listserv to communicate over 40 project updates to community stakeholders.

The project’s environmental documentation consisted of a categorical exclusion— “a class of actions that a Federal agency has determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, therefore, neither environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is normally required”—as allowed by a 2018 Programmatic Agreement between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and FHWA. The purpose and need statement, informed by input gathered through the planning process, addressed safety and environmental stewardship during the NEPA process by implementing a road diet—an FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasure known to be effective in reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries on the Nation’s highways.

Jason Monroe, Frankfort’s city manager, shared his enthusiasm for the project: “We take great pride in the Second Street Corridor Project. Safety, equity, and environmental concerns were given the utmost attention at the beginning of the project and were continuously prioritized throughout the process. Currently, we are in the process of planning Complete Streets projects for two additional main arteries in the city, and we will be following the same approach for these projects.” City officials also hope to implement various forms of public art to encourage community ownership of the corridor. Moreover, the positive momentum around this project has helped the city secure a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (or RAISE) discretionary grant for a nearby two-mile corridor that will also implement Complete Streets concepts, furthering the mission of a safe, connected, and equitable city roadway network.

Key Themes

The Safety and NEPA: Case Studies and Noteworthy Practices report (https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2023-02/Safety%20NEPA_Introductory%20Document_FINAL_508.pdf) summarizes lessons learned from these and other case studies, including:

• Safety and environmental considerations should not be considered “either/or” in project development.
• Clear, well-developed guidance can benefit the incorporation of safety in NEPA.
• Meaningful public involvement and engagement is critical in understanding specific safety concerns within a project footprint.
• Documenting safety concerns and assessing safety performance from pre-NEPA processes, particularly through a Planning and Environment Linkage or feasibility study, provides a foundation for prioritizing safety throughout the project development process.

Reaching the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries requires all stakeholders to take collective, interdisciplinary and interagency actions, and ownership in safety. NEPA reviews can provide a forum for FHWA and project sponsors to facilitate transportation decision-making in the “best overall public interest,” according to FHWA’s Environmental Review Toolkit. Safety and NEPA practitioners can work together to highlight the public interest in safety while balancing the needs for environmental and other transportation considerations.

Phillip Bobitz is a safety engineer in FHWA’s Office of Safety, responsible for Proven Safety Countermeasures and various safety integration initiatives. He has a B.S. in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University and is a registered professional engineer (P.E.) in Pennsylvania.

David Cohen is an environmental protection specialist in FHWA’s Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, where he leads national initiatives to promote interdisciplinary and efficient environmental reviews of highway projects. He holds a bachelor’s in biology and cultural anthropology from Hamilton College.

Chimai Ngo is a transportation specialist in FHWA’s Office of Safety, where she leads efforts to promote safety culture and the Safe System Approach, including Vision Zero and integrating safety in the transportation planning process. She holds a bachelor’s in architecture from the Catholic University of America and a master’s in planning from the University of Virginia.

Jerry Roche is a lead transportation specialist in FHWA’s Office of Safety, where his team provides safety policy and program support in such areas as pedestrians, motorcyclists, Complete Streets, local and rural roads, Proven Safety Countermeasures, and incorporating safety in all projects. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Iowa State University and is a registered P.E. in Iowa.

Lilah Morrissey is a communications and outreach specialist who manages the marketing needs of FHWA’s Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty. She has over 15 years of professional experience in project management and marketing and a master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of Oregon.

For more information on safety and NEPA, visit FHWA’s Environmental Toolkit (https://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/) and Zero Deaths and Safe System (https://highways.dot.gov/safety/zero-deaths/resources) pages.

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Colleen Vaughn, the project development team lead in FHWA’s Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, for her contribution to this article.