Background
Road Safety Audits/Assessments (RSAs) are an effective tool for proactively improving the future safety performance of a road project during the planning and design stages, and for identifying safety issues in existing transportation facilities.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety and Office of Federal Lands Highway commissioned a series of six Federal and tribal lands RSAs as part of a Task Order under FHWA Contract DTFH61-05-D-00024. The RSAs were conducted by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. and Opus International. Two additional RSAs on Federal Lands were conducted by Western and Eastern Federal Lands Division Offices.
The results of the RSAs have been compiled in this case studies document. Each case study includes photographs, a project description, a summary of key findings, and the lessons learned. The aim of this document is to provide Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs) and tribal transportation agencies with examples and advice that can assist them in implementing RSAs in their own jurisdictions.
What is an RSA?
A Road Safety Audit/Assessment (RSA) is a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team.
Changes in roadway ownership, traffic patterns (which may be seasonal), and development around roadways often create conditions unanticipated in the original roadway design. RSAs, conducted by a team that is independent of the facility Owner and design team, address safety by a thorough review of roadway, traffic, environmental, and human factors conditions. By focusing on safety, RSAs make sure that safety does not “fall through the cracks.”
The RSAs followed the procedures outlined in the FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines document (Publication Number FHWA-SA-06-06). The procedures involve an eight-step RSA process discussed later in this case study document.
The multidisciplinary RSA Team is typically composed of at least three members, representing backgrounds in road safety, traffic operations, and/or road design, and members from other areas such as maintenance, human factors, enforcement, and first responders. Members of the RSA Team are independent of the operations of the road or the design of the project being assessed. The RSA team’s independence assures two things: that there is no potential conflict of interest or defensiveness, and the project is reviewed with “fresh eyes.”
RSAs can be conducted at any stage in a project’s life:
- A pre-construction RSA (planning and design stages) examines a road before it is modified or built, at the planning/feasibility stage or the design (preliminary or detailed design) stage. An RSA at this stage identifies potential safety issues before crashes occur. The earlier a pre-construction RSA is conducted, the more potential it has to efficiently remedy possible safety concerns.
- Construction RSAs (work zone, changes in design during construction, and pre opening) examine temporary traffic management plans associated with construction or other roadwork, and changes in design during construction. RSAs at this stage can also be conducted when construction is completed but before the roadway is opened to traffic.
- A post-construction or operational RSA (existing road) examines a road that is operating, and is usually conducted to address a demonstrated crash problem.
The Federal and Tribal Lands RSA Case Study Program
The eight RSAs conducted in this case study program are summarized in Table 1.
| FACILITY OWNERS AND OTHER RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES | RSA SITES | RSA STAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), United States Department of Agriculture, Patuxent Research Refuge |
|
existing roads and proposed design |
| Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Wisconsin Department of Transportation |
|
existing roads and planned improvements |
| Navajo Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Phillips Oil Company, San Juan County, Utah |
|
existing roads |
| Pinckney Island and Savannah National Wildlife Refuges, South Carolina Department of Transportation |
|
existing roads |
| US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Bear Camp Coastal Route |
|
existing roads |
| Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians |
|
existing roads |
| Cumberland Gap Tunnel Authority, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and National Park Service |
|
existing roads |
| US Forest Service, Skamania County, Washington |
|
existing roads |
All participating FLMAs and tribal transportation agencies volunteered to be involved in this RSA program. Involvement in the case study program required the agencies to nominate the sites for the RSA project; provide the RSA Team with the materials (such as traffic volume and crash data) on which the RSA would be based; participate in the start-up and preliminary findings meetings; and contribute at least one Federal/tribal staff member to participate on the RSA team. The RSA teams were led by two experienced and independent consultants.
Information on each of these RSAs, including background, a summary of RSA issues, and a list of suggested improvements, is included in the Appendix