Original publication: FHWA Safety Program | Systemic In Practice | Washington

Overview of Practice

The Thurston County Public Works Department used the Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool to explore the potential benefits of proactive safety planning. Although Thurston County staff had experience conducting strategic safety planning in partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), those efforts focused on site-specific safety improvements such as turn lanes, guardrail enhancement, and shoulder paving and widening.

Results

The Tool provided Thurston County a proactive, data driven and defensible approach to identifying curves for improvement prior to a severe crash occurring, rather than reacting after an incident has occurred. Upon conclusion of the systemic analysis, Thurston County applied for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding using the results as documentation for the request. The WSDOT approved the grant and the County is moving forward with implementing the systemic countermeasures identified through this systemic analysis. The Tool also proved to present a process that is flexible and implementable by a local agency with limited funding and staffing resources. A benefit of working with the WSDOT to apply the systemic safety planning process is that the experience provided County staff an opportunity for greater involvement in Strategic Highway Safety Planning (SHSP) activities.

Contact

Scott Davis, P.E.
Traffic Engineering and Operations Manager
Thurston County Public Works
davissa@co.thurston.wa.us