New England States Set Tri-State Target

New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine

Description

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and seven other organizations representing roadway safety professionals in all the States have developed the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) National Strategy to provide a roadmap of making sure every trip on our nation's highways is safe. The strategy focuses on all aspects of roadway safety, and emphasizes the importance of cooperation and collaboration.

At the same time, there was a growing national emphasis on evaluating and managing performance throughout the highway program. Both the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and AASHTO were encouraging states to be proactive in establishing and monitoring performance measures, and working together to improve critical areas such as safety.

The Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine have a history of collaboration, which can be seen in their planning and operations, and their response to emergencies and other common problems. The three states share a geography, climate, history, culture, and roadway network that speak to their interconnectedness. Given this, it is not surprising that when the challenge was put forward to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries, the three States again focused on how they could support each other to achieve these goals.

On August 19, 2010, the three States signed the Tri State Agreement for Standardized Performance Measures Memorandum of Understanding (included in the appendix of the referenced 2013 report). In that memorandum, the three states commit to work together to establish a standardized set of performance measures and targets in safety and other priority areas. At the core of the Safety Performance Measures was the TZD program, which was just beginning to be embraced around the country. In that regard, this effort was not only unique in its multi-state scope, but also in taking such an early lead in adopting the TZD vision (nearly four years before AASHTO's formal adoption of the TZD National Strategy).

A Tri-State Safety Performance Measure Working Group was formed and provides an ongoing forum for the advancing the states' safety performance efforts. Although each state has its own challenges, they share six Critical Emphasis Areas (CEAs) in their Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSPs). These CEAs are focused on speed, safety belts, young drivers, impaired drivers, distracted drivers and intersections. As part of the tri-state initiative, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont continue to work collaboratively to coordinate programs to more effectively reach these regional goals. The following graph shows how this collective goal is represented in the Tri-State Performance Measures Annual Report for 2013.

In addition, these three states have worked together with other New England DOTs to regularly share their safety experiences, programs and initiatives. For the past two years, Duane Brunell from MaineDOT has been hosting bi-monthly safety teleconferences which provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas. “We have talked about everything from addressing wrong-way drivers, to bike and pedestrian safety issues,” he notes. “Our states share many of the same safety problems and we continue to learn much from each other.”

Key Accomplishments

• New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine built on their long standing relationship to adopt a common goal for their collective safety programs.
• Memorandum of Understanding signed by the heads of the three State DOTs to cooperatively develop common safety performance measures
• Early efforts to officially adopt goals and a vision reflecting what would become the Towards Zero Deaths National Strategy

Results

New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine formally entered into the Tri-State partnership to work towards a common goal of significantly reducing fatalities and serious injuries. Through an on-going work group, the three states continue to focus on their efforts on common emphasis areas in their SHSPs. This has been reinforced through bi-monthy meetings to share experience and knowledge that has expanded beyond the original three States to include safety professionals from all the New England DOTs.

Contacts

Bruce Nyquist, P.E.
Highway Safety Manager
Vermont Agency of Transportation
(802) 828-2696
Fax: (802) 828-2437
Bruce.Nyquist@vermont.gov

Duane Brunell
Safety Manager
Maine Department of Transportation
16 Statehouse Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
(207) 624-3278
Duane.Burnell@maine.gov

Developing Methodologies for the Prioritization of Systemic Safety Improvements

New Mexico and Indiana

Description

Both the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) implemented processes to prioritize system-wide improvements based on high-risk roadway features correlated with severe crash types. These processes support the wide implementation of cost-effective safety improvements, particularly on local roads.

NMDOT includes a description of the abbreviated process for funding systemic improvements using proven safety countermeasures in its HSIP Application Form and Instructions. Like most states, New Mexico typically requires justification for selected improvements through estimated crash reductions and anticipated improvements to safety performance. However, NMDOT accepts applications featuring one of the engineering countermeasures identified as a means to systemically reduce fatal and injury crashes without specific relevant crash data for the subject sites. If the application includes a reasonable cost estimate, NMDOT selection committee will recommend the systemic improvement project receive the highest priority within funding program restraints and seek concurrence from FHWA.

This allowed New Mexico to spend over $6 million (30%) of its HSIP funds on cost-effective, systemic safety countermeasures in locations that might otherwise not have received funding due to sparse crash histories.

INDOT developed a similar procedure, providing specific guidance on how to analyze and justify specific systemic safety improvements. The Indiana HSIP Local Project Selection Guide details several high-priority, low-cost systemic countermeasures that demonstrate a strong benefit to roadway safety performance in Indiana. Projects utilizing these countermeasures only need to submit a cover letter from the Local Public Agency (LPA) and a form with project information.

The excerpt from INDOT's Local Project Selection Guide below provides an example of the established criteria. It informs local agencies applying for HSIP funds about how to best receive funding for pedestrian improvements, one of INDOT's high priority systemic safety improvements.

By including not only the systemic safety countermeasures available for funding, but also the means by which they can be justified, INDOT achieved an increased sense of transparency in the project selection process. It also created an atmosphere of openness with local agencies, which allowed over 30% of annual HSIP funds to be spent on systemic roadway improvements.

Key Accomplishments

• Increased awareness of proven, state-specific systemic safety improvements and developed documented methodology for these improvements.
• Increased the percentage of HSIP funds directed towards cost-effective systemic safety improvements, particularly on locally-owned roads.

Results

Both NMDOT and INDOT developed transparent methodologies for the inclusion and prioritization of systemic safety improvements in their project selection process. As a result, the number of systemic projects supported with HSIP funds has increased steadily over the past several years.

Contacts

Alan Holderread
Safety Engineer - Traffic Safety
Indiana Department of Transportation
100 N. Senate Ave., IGCN 958
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-5231
AHolderead@indot.in.gov

Jessica Griffin, AICP
Government to Government Unit Supervisor/HSIP Coordinator
NM Department of Transportation
PO Box 1149
Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505) 476-2155
Jessica.Griffin@state.nm.us

Working with Locals to Improve Safety Data

Florida

Description

One of the key challenges every state faces in addressing its safety issues is the availability of timely and accurate crash data. The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) made this even more apparent by requiring states to establish safety performance targets for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. In Florida, the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) provides the roadmap for achieving those targets and integrating safety initiatives in all emphasis areas. The SHSP also makes it very clear that achieving these targets will require actions on both the state highway system and on roadways owned and operated by local governments and agencies. Over 25% of the State's roadway fatalities occur on local roads, and this number points to the tremendous challenge of addressing roadway safety issues on Florida's local roads.

To address safety challenges on local roads, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is working via their Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) to interact with over 300 local agencies throughout the State, including law enforcement, health care, and emergency medical service agencies. The key goals of the TRCC are to integrate data systems across agencies, and promote the timeliness, accuracy, completeness, and uniformity of data collected. In recent years the TRCC funded local agencies to improve their ability to collect and store enforcement actions and crash data. Specifically, local agencies used the funding to purchase hardware to support their reporting capabilities.

eCitation and eCrash are electronic citation software that allow law enforcement officers, at the scene of a crash, to use laptops in their police vehicles to input data and information from a traffic incident directly into a computerized database. These systems also have scanners, which transfer driver's license information directly to forms, reducing errors.

In addition, Florida recognizes that in order to move beyond using historical crash data alone to make countermeasure choices, certain core roadway data elements will be required for all roads in the State. This has been a challenge for many local jurisdictions. The FDOT is working with localities to develop databases that can be merged with crash data to better prioritize safety needs on local roads.

Overall, locals are seeing the benefits that come from having better data. In 2013, nearly $38 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds went to local safety projects (only $9.2 million was obligated for local safety projects in the previous year). In addition, the State has made a considerable commitment to assisting locals in planning, evaluating, and preparing justifications for such projects.

Key Accomplishments

• Through their Traffic Records Coordinating Committee, the Florida DOT provides assistance to over 300 local agencies in improving their data systems.
• The State's new eCitation and eCrash systems ensure timely and accurate data collection from law enforcement and first responders.
• Local agencies received funding to purchase hardware to optimize application of these new data systems.

Results

Data is the foundation of sound safety decision-making, and the FDOT recognizes the importance of having that data for all roads in the State. By engaging and providing resources to local governments, the FDOT is better able to support and target their safety initiatives, and integrate their efforts into achieving the State's overall safety goals.

Contact

Ms. Danielle King
TRCC Coordinator
Florida Department of Transportation
Traffic Safety Management Office
605 Suwannee Street, MS 53
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 414-4226
Danielle.King@dot.state.fl.us

Maintenance Crews Step in to Support the HSIP

Arkansas and Arizona

Description

In many States, the district office maintenance divisions serve as the most visible part of the Department of Transportation (DOT). They live on the front line, responding to emergencies day and night, and keeping the traveling public safe in every kind of weather and calamity. They generally possess detailed knowledge of every section of the district's roads, including current problem areas and those likely to be problematic in the future.

Some State DOTs find innovative ways to tap into the extensive knowledge of their maintenance staff. In Arkansas, the DOT uses maintenance crews to analyze crash sites and recommend next steps for addressing related safety issues. These on-site reviews help confirm the previous analysis, identify any additional conditions that may have contributed to the crash, and start the process of identifying possible countermeasures.

Agencies typically conduct site assessments at the time of day when the safety issues were reported, and the around-the-clock availability of maintenance services lends itself to this kind of flexibility and responsiveness. Information collected during the assessment includes roadway geometry, lane/shoulder width, access, sight distance, operations, traffic, existing traffic control devices, etc. Involving additional safety partners during the on-site review when possible can also be beneficial and is encouraged.

Maintenance crews often act as the eyes and ears of the DOT, and may be the first to recognize areas where safety issues need to be addressed. In Arizona, safety offices leverage this knowledge by reviewing current maintenance records to identify potential problems before crash data triggers an action. Maintenance records have become a channel for quickly sharing safety related information.

Specifically, each Arizona DOT Engineering District monitors and records repeat maintenance issues, which can indicate the location of potential safety concerns. For example, records indicating that a specific light pole is continually in need of repair due to repeated vehicle impacts might point to a problem with the pole's location. In this way, maintenance data helps identify specific problem areas.

Key Accomplishments

• Arkansas DOT leverages the knowledge, experience, and availability of their maintenance crews to conduct crash analyses.
• Arizona DOT uses maintenance records to identify possible safety issues.

Results

District maintenance crews often have a unique knowledge of and dedication to the safety of the system under their care. They also possess a proficiency in the identification of safety related issues, and maintain detailed records. By drawing on those assets, Departments of Transportation increase the readily available resources to identify and address safety issues.

Contact

Jesse Gutierrez
Arizona DOT State Engineers Office
1615 W. Jackson St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 712-8274
JGutierrez@azdot.gov

Linking Law Enforcement and Roadway Safety in Maryland

Background

There are numerous strategies and infrastructure improvements that can reduce crash fatalities and serious injuries. But to have a real impact on crash rates, it also takes strong communication between law enforcement, who see firsthand the consequences of severe crashes, and engineers, who know the science behind efforts to reduce the worst crashes.

In Maryland, as in many States, there is often turnover in leadership of Statewide traffic police units, making it difficult to establish lasting connections between law enforcement and highway planners. That's why nearly a decade ago the Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO) developed a comprehensive training program for traffic commanders that melds police work with concepts such as strategic planning and data-driven decision making that are more often the purview of engineers.

Leading Effective Traffic Enforcement Programs

Maryland's traffic commander leadership program is called the Leading Effective Traffic Enforcement Program (LETEP). Since LETEP was founded in 2008, there have been nearly one dozen classes with up to 25 traffic police commanders in each, including commanders from outside Maryland.

The program has been refined with insights from past students, experts outside the law enforcement community, and curriculum consultants. The LETEP approach is unique because it trains traffic police leaders on the importance of roadway design and safety concepts, so that officers in the field play a key role in identifying and reporting roadway safety needs, such as dangerous intersection or curves.

Traffic officers are trained in basic engineering concepts and effectively become another set of eyes to inform infrastructure improvements and crash reduction strategies. LETEP also trains officers and leadership how to think beyond the traffic ticket: the core of the curriculum is about encouraging law enforcement to go beyond traditional police work and ask why; to consider how and if their work is having an impact on reducing serious crashes.

Maryland is also unique in that representatives from law enforcement lead several of its State Highway Strategic Plan (SHSP) emphasis areas. Of the state's six emphasis areas, four are behavioral (aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, occupant protection) and two are engineering related (highway infrastructure, pedestrian crashes), demonstrating the range of safety areas and strategy-making where law enforcement is involved.

LETEP Challenges

The LETEP curriculum is mature and is a proven, effective way to mesh the goals of law enforcement leadership and traffic engineers. But, the real-life responsibilities of traffic divisions can differ greatly. A traffic division in a city, for instance, may be constantly working to make sure that events such as fairs, races, and baseball games are safe. They may be so pressed to maintain safe movement within their city that they do not have the bandwidth to proactively link their daily work with long- and short-term engineering solutions that can improve traffic safety.

While the results of the LETEP program can depend greatly on size, perspective, and agenda of specific law enforcement agencies, MHSO staff have developed personal relationships with every senior law enforcement executive in Maryland. Open channels from traffic planners to traffic enforcement leadership can help develop solutions for traffic divisions that find it difficult to implement LETEP insights.

LETEP Benefits

• After completing LETEP, traffic commanders have a fuller understanding of the “science” behind behavioral traffic safety countermeasures.
• This training provides traffic commanders with an understanding of how to better target their efforts for an impact on safety—for instance, by utilizing geospatial crash analysis tools to identify problem areas so as to direct sufficient resources to those areas utilizing appropriate countermeasures.
• Develops an expertise in Strategic Traffic Safety Planning including vigorous evaluation of their efforts.
• Provides police commanders an understanding of basic engineering concepts, so they can act as another set of eyes in the field.
• Encourages police commanders to become more safety proactive. If they recognize that they are often called to crashes at a particular left turn intersection, they can be proactive and communicate that insight to engineers.
• Provides law enforcement an understanding of the state's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, and how this plan guides local efforts. It also encourages their active involvement in the plan's development as well as its implementation through participation in Emphasis Area Teams.

Contact

Tom Gianni
Chief
Maryland Highway Safety Office
410-787-4014
TGianni@mva.maryland.gov

New Hampshire Tackles Distracted Driving through New Hands-Free Electronic Device Law

Background

On July 1, 2015, New Hampshire joined a growing number of States that have enacted laws banning hand-held electronic device use while driving. A previous law in New Hampshire banned texting while driving, but it was difficult to enforce. Drivers often texted while keeping their phones out of view of law officers—if they were pulled over, they would argue that they were making a phone call, which had been legal.

State police leadership and the State Attorney General's office pushed strongly for and helped write New Hampshire's hands-free law. To educate the public on the new law and the potentially fatal consequences of distracted driving, New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has pursued a comprehensive regional marketing campaign—branded as Hands-Free New Hampshire—across radio, television, social media, and web platforms.

A Marketing Push for Safer Driving

Hands-Free New Hampshire is part of a broader road safety effort in New Hampshire called Driving Toward Zero. That effort aligns with the Federal Highway Administration’s Toward Zero Deaths strategy, and promotes a safety culture where the only acceptable number of yearly road fatalities is zero.

Driving Toward Zero programs emerge from collaboration with more than a dozen public and private organizations, including the American Automobile Association (AAA), the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, and the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association (NHADA).

Through these alliances, information about hands-free driving is spreading beyond NHDOT's direct efforts. Posters and brochures have been posted and distributed on the web and at physical locations of NHADA, the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and numerous town police headquarters.

Communications consultants work with NHDOT to advance the hands-free campaign and to create promotional materials, including two television public service announcements that run on local cable networks. Across the landscape of State road safety efforts New Hampshire is particularly proactive in working with consultants to promote safe driving practices. NHDOT uses Highway Safety Improvement Program funds to pay for the expertise and media contacts that communications consultants provide.

Targeted Marketing

Because less-experienced, younger drivers are nearly three times more likely¹ as more experienced drivers to have a fatal crash, NHDOT has focused specific efforts to reduce distracted driving among teens. Driver education instructors incorporate distracted driving lessons and information about New Hampshire's hands-free law into their curricula. A safe driving pledge card serves as a conversation starter to engage young people in thinking about their choices behind the wheel.

At conferences held twice per year, driving instructors, school administrators, and NHDOT staff discuss new initiatives to combat distracted driving. NHDOT provides instructors with the latest posters, flyers, and videos to share with their students. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is also part of the Driving Toward Zero coalition. Drivers at UNH who are slightly older, but perhaps still inexperienced, are exposed to the same life-saving information as teens. As new students from out of State come to the school over upcoming fall semesters, NHDOT staff will continue their education efforts, particularly because some students come from States that have more lax laws on electronic device use while driving.

Key Challenges

New Hampshire's hands-free marketing campaign was implemented to tackle the challenge of helping the public associate Driving Toward Zero with safety-specific programs or legislation. The combination of technical expertise from NHDOT staff and marketing expertise from communications consultants has largely achieved that goal.

The hands-free law was initially met with resistance on social media. NHDOT staff also experienced pushback at safety fairs, auto races, and hockey and football games across the State where they were presenting information on the new hands-free law. Through persistence and patience, those voices have diminished and, anecdotally, NHDOT staff hear from the public that they support the hands-free law.

Benefits Realized

NHDOT staff anticipates feedback from the State police on whether the hands-free law is enforceable. They will also analyze statistics for the second half of this year and hope to see a drop in serious injuries and fatalities.

¹ OSHA URL no longer available.

Contact

James A. Marshall
Administrator
Highway Design
New Hampshire Department of Transportation
603-271-2171
JAMarshall@dot.state.nh.us

Mobile App of Ohio's Roadway Safety Field Guide Lowers Printing Costs and Quickens Content Updates

Background

The Ohio Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center produces its Roadside Safety Field Guide as a quick reference for Ohio's Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Local Public Agency construction and maintenance staff and contractors working in the field on road safety infrastructure.

While the field guide is handy and useful out in the field, it is costly to print and update. To make the guide more accessible and less expensive to produce, Ohio LTAP developed a mobile application for construction and maintenance staff to access the guide via existing handheld electronic devices, such as their smart phones.

A New Mobile App

The Roadside Safety Field Guide app summarizes guidelines established in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Roadside Design Guide for installing and maintaining roadside safety hardware. This mobile job aid includes basic principles, descriptions and images of roadside safety hardware, design considerations, and maintenance information.

Ohio transportation agencies at all levels can use the application for all aspects of safety infrastructure maintenance and construction. For instance, if a guardrail is damaged, crews sent to install a new guardrail can refer to guidelines detailed in the app. Staff at the FHWA division office also use the app during inspections and site reviews. Push notifications automatically notify users about updates to the guide and make it easy for users to download the newest version.

Developing the App

The content for the application—the safety guide itself—was already established. That gave Ohio LTAP a leg up and allowed its developer to start with user-interface considerations. Ohio LTAP staff and the developer worked on creating a document structure that made sense for a mobile app, to make it intuitive for users to navigate from main menus to submenus and quickly find needed information.

Key Challenges

While the coding work for the app was fairly simple, finding someone who could do the coding came down to innovative hiring. The LTAP center decided to hire a college intern with coding experience to create the app. Ohio LTAP decided to move forward with the intern as the developer instead of finding a more costly outside firm to create and update the app. Ohio LTAP has found in conversations with other LTAP and ODOT programs interested in developing their own field guide applications that finding cost-effective app development is an ongoing challenge. That is why the Ohio LTAP Center decided to seek out a college intern with the right background and then provide the intern a resume-enhancing opportunity to create the mobile app. This model worked well for Ohio LTAP and they plan to continue it as future apps are developed.

User Feedback

Feedback has been universally positive—Ohio LTAP has not received any requests to bring back the printed guidebooks. Staff in the field have real-time information at their fingertips to make the right decisions to positively impact the safety of the traveling public.

Benefits

Ohio LTAP and ODOT have seen the following benefits from developing its field guide mobile application:

• Significant savings in printing costs.
• Can push out changes to the guide more easily.
• Easier to make users aware of changes.

Upcoming Apps

Because the roadside safety guide application makes updating the guide faster and cheaper than printing new hard copies, Ohio LTAP is pursuing several other new mobile applications as well. Next up is a sign installation app with guidelines for typical sign installations on local roads. Then there will be a safety countermeasures app, so staff in the field who encounter a possible roadway safety issue or are conducting a Road Safety Audit will be able to access and review potential countermeasures on their phones.

Ohio LTAP is also developing small marketing cards with quick-read (QR) codes to pass out at conferences and other events to guide potential users to the app download sites. Finally, Ohio LTAP recently purchased 40 tablets to offer an electronic version of the guide during trainings—in the long run, it is expected the tablets will dramatically reduce the cost of printing guides for use in the classroom setting.

Contact

Victoria Beale
Ohio LTAP Center Director
Ohio Department of Transportation
614-466-3129
Victoria.Beale@dot.ohio.gov

A Cost-Effective and Time-Sensitive Safety Solution

Original publication: Case Study: South Carolina US 25-Greenville County; FHWA-SA-15-056; 2015(PDF, 2MB)

A one-mile section of US 25 in Greenville County had been a cause for concern for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) for many years. Located in rural, mountainous terrain, and often subject to inclement weather including rain, snow, ice, and fog, US 25 carries traffic on two lanes in each direction and is separated only by a damaged and brittle concrete barrier. US 25 changes dramatically, from a relatively straight road in North Carolina directly to this particular section in South Carolina with horizontal and vertical curves and a 6 percent grade. US 25 has a speed limit of 55 mph and carries approximately 10,000 vehicles per day with heavy truck traffic.

SCDOT discovered a number of factors contributing to the high crash rates along this short section of US 25. One significant factor was that the concrete barrier's design did not allow for proper drainage, channeling water to the driving lane and shoulder. Speeding, inadequate pavement superelevation, and sight distance constraints also contributed to the safety issues at this location.

In 2000, SCDOT considered funding a major reconstruction project which involved replacing and updating the barrier wall and modifying the roadway's superelevation and drainage structures. However, with the project's estimate coming in at nearly $5 million, this project was unlikely to happen. Both costly and lengthy, the overall project development timeline for this alternative would have spanned approximately three years, and would have involved an extensive work zone and detour which would have inconvenienced local residents and drivers traveling through this area.

Over the years, low-cost measures of additional signing and markings were added along US 25, but these did not adequately address the excessive speeds and drainage issues, and the resulting safety improvement was minimal at best. At one point, a dynamic message sign (DMS) was installed to display a regulatory 45 mph speed limit during rainy conditions. However, due to the rural nature of this road segment and the wide road template, speeds remained excessive.

In 2008, a High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) was applied to this curvy stretch of US 25. SCDOT had used this pavement treatment on ramp segments to increase skid resistance in locations where friction demand was high, but this one-mile project was the largest application to date, and at the time, it was unclear whether HFST would mitigate the hydraulic issues drivers experienced on this segment. With the planning process and installation complete in approximately six months, the HFST project cost SCDOT $1 million, which was 80 percent less than the previously considered reconstruction project.

A before and after study evaluating the HFST project's success on US 25 revealed significant safety benefits, with a 68 percent reduction in wet crashes and a 56 percent reduction in total crashes. Six years after HFST installation, SCDOT reports the pavement treatment is holding up very well, considering the high exposure to snow plowing.

To develop its current HFST specification, SCDOT used the AASHTO specification as the base model and integrated pieces from other States' specifications as well as their own experiences with the treatment. While their HFST specification is still evolving, SCDOT believes it strikes a good balance between quality materials and application, while still maintaining reasonable contractor expectations and competitive bidding.

Citing a before and after study of seven HFST project locations, SCDOT experienced an 81 percent reduction in wet crashes and 71 percent reduction in total crashes. Since HFST has proven to be a very cost-effective safety countermeasure, SCDOT has installed 20 HFST projects, with approximately 20 more locations planned for 2015. Widespread deployment will be incorporated once the DOT identifies the horizontal curves throughout the State. The benefit/cost analysis for these locations has proven HFST to be a very cost-effective countermeasure.

Contacts

Joseph Cheung
FHWA Office of Safety
Joseph.Cheung@dot.gov

Frank Julian
FHWA Resource Center
Frank.Julian@dot.gov

Joey Riddle
Safety Engineer
South Carolina DOT
RiddleJD@scdot.gov

A Life-Saving and Cost-Effective Solution For An Environmentally Sensitive Location

Original publication: Case Study: Northern California US 199-Del Norte County; FHWA-SA-15-055; 2015 (PDF, 2.3MB)

Background

Over the last decade, a horizontal curve within the parks' limits experienced a high frequency of wet crashes. This curve, shown in Figure 1, is located on US 199, a two-lane, rural highway in Del Norte County, approximately one mile east of the South Fork Road intersection. It has a radius of 280 ft. and an advisory speed of 30 miles per hour (mph). Between 2006 and 2009, this site experienced 26 wet crashes and exhibited total and severe (fatal + injury) crash rates that were 7.3 and 4.3 times, respectively, greater than the statewide average for similar facilities. Crash types included run off road, head-on, and opposite direction sideswipe.

Caltrans previously installed several low-cost safety countermeasures at the site including center line rumble strips, speed warning signs, double stacked chevron signs, and one inch open grade asphalt concrete (OGAC) overlay. Yet, these treatments did not lead to the crash reductions Caltrans desired. They began to consider larger scale countermeasures, specifically roadway realignment. However, the realignment process would require a lengthy environmental review and mitigation of wetland impacts before the improvement could begin reducing crashes. As an alternative to realigning this curve, Caltrans began to investigate a High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) and looked to other States for guidance and successes.

Factors Affecting the Final Decision

 

Most critical for Caltrans at this location was mitigating environmental impacts. US 199 parallels the Smith River, the most pristine and environmentally sensitive river in California, protected by a full spectrum of environmental entities and regulations. The surrounding area sustains California's most diverse ecology, including the Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl, as shown in Figure 2, both threatened species protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act. The area also contains over 400 separate species of plant life and a large number of active, very small wet lands.

Due to endangered species and water quality concerns, a roadway realignment project within the parks' limits would require Caltrans to spend six months acquiring environmental permits. Further, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board requires Caltrans to mitigate construction effects upon the wetlands, even when impacts are only a few square feet. Wetland and impervious area mitigation ratios can range from 1:1 to 1:4 depending on several factors. If the replacement is to take place within another roadway project, it could be years before Caltrans is able to begin work on the initial project as crashes continue to occur. In contrast, HFST environmental impact and associated review is minimal and requires only a Categorical Exemption/Exclusion (CE/CE) document. HFST's nominal effect on the surrounding environment is due to the treatment's application between existing pavement edges, resulting in no net increase of impervious areas within the Park€™s limits.

In addition, any geometric improvement that involves construction incurs time restrictions (i.e., environmental windows) aimed at not disturbing wildlife. This would force Caltrans to either perform large-scale construction projects in stages or to use an accelerated/restricted schedule, both of which have significant effects upon the project. Conversely, HFST has the distinct advantage of an installation time period of just 10 working days.

Lastly, a feasible detour route for the realignment is not available because a network of local county roads that connects the lower and upper portions of the county does not exist. A detour around US 199 could take longer than 8 hours, which is estimated to cost upwards of $450 million a year in associated economic losses. HFST can be installed one lane at a time and therefore does not require a detour at any point during construction.

Table 1 summarizes and compares each countermeasure's environmental review and design time frames, construction duration, costs, and need for a detour.

Selecting HFST

In summer 2012, Caltrans opted for the simpler, but still very effective, alternative. They installed 850 ft. of HFST at this horizontal curve on US 199, shown in Figure 3. The treatment consisted of a double layer of epoxy-resin binder with calcined bauxite aggregate, which filled in the surface voids from the previously installed OGAC and added protection against water penetration. With a peak hour volume of approximately 600 vehicles per hour (vph), Caltrans estimated only a 5 minute travel time delay during active construction. Caltrans is unaware of any crashes at this location since the HFST implementation.

To date, 139 sites on State maintained roadways in California have received HFST or will receive the treatment in the near future. Caltrans continually encourages and tries to educate its districts about the benefits of HFST. The agency believes that HFST is one of the best tools in its toolkit for challenging curves and should be the primary “go-to” friction enhancing countermeasure, even before OGAC.

What criteria does Caltrans use to install HFST?

Caltrans believes HFST is an appropriate safety countermeasure for both wet and dry locations, high and low volume roadways, and tangents as well as curves. It is effective at mitigating crashes involving large changes in speeds (acceleration/deceleration), low skid numbers, tight horizontal curves, and roadway departure. As a result, Caltrans has implemented HFST on a large variety of locations including horizontal curves, bridges, wet crash locations, signalized intersections, on- and off-ramps, and short freeway segments.

Are there any locations where HFST is not appropriate?

Caltrans does not apply HFST in cold/icy locations where heavy trucks frequently use chains in winter, as the chains significantly decrease HFST's lifespan. Further, in long tangent sections with intense rainfall, OGAC is preferred.

Contacts

Joseph Cheung
FHWA Office of Safety
Joseph.Cheung@dot.gov

Frank Julian
FHWA Resource Center
Frank.Julian@dot.gov

Florida DOT Sees Reduction in Teen and Lane Departure Fatalities and Injuries through the Local Agency Traffic Safety Program

Describe the roadway safety situation or state before the new practice was implemented. What was the safety issue, problem, or gap?

Presently, over half of the fatal and severe injury crashes in the Tampa Bay region occur on locally owned and maintained roadways. Traditionally, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has typically spent less than 10 percent of their allocated Federal safety funds on local roads. To aggressively address these fatal and severe injury crashes using a data-driven process, the District 7 (Tampa Bay region) office of FDOT developed and implemented the Local Agency Traffic Safety Program. The program is a coordinated and comprehensive effort to put the available safety dollars to use in reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roadways in the region.

What were the key challenges that needed to be addressed before the new practice could be implemented?

Prior to initiation of the program, the following challenges to allocating safety funding to the local agencies were identified:

• Many of the local agencies did not have staff with specialized knowledge or training in traffic safety;
• There was a general lack of knowledge among many of the local agencies about the available federal and state programs and the requirements of those programs; and
• Agency staff typically did not know where to start to address the safety issues on their roadways.

Describe the new practice.

A comprehensive approach was developed to assist the local agencies with identifying the safety issues on their roadways, selecting appropriate countermeasures, and applying for funding to make the recommended improvements. The Local Agency Traffic Safety Program was developed to help build a culture of safety throughout the Tampa Bay region and includes:

• A yearly Traffic Safety Summit in District 7 for local safety practitioners;
• An online HSIP application process;
• Safety ambassadors to work one-on-one with the agency staff to develop the candidate HSIP projects; and
• Five methods of project delivery assistance by which local agencies can receive Federal safety funding to implement engineering improvements that have been selected for funding including:
  • Equipment purchase
  • Technical assistance
  • Design Build Push Button (DBPB)
  • Local Agency Program
  • Local Agency Force Account

List the key accomplishments that resulted from the new practice. Include the roadway safety improvements.

• Achieved a 28 percent reduction in fatal and serious injury lane departure crashes and a 33 percent reduction in teen driver crashes over the last three years.
• Completed over $23 million in safety improvements on local roadways in the Tampa Bay region.

What technical and/or institutional changes resulted from the new practice?

• DBPB project delivery process allows a previously selected designer-contractor team to quickly bring a project “from concept to concrete.”
• District 7 Safety Office Traffic Safety Summit.

What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?

• Prior to the first Safety Summit, the District Safety Office would typically receive approximately three applications per year for safety funding on local roads. Since the inception of the Safety Summit and the support to the local agencies, the District Safety Office receives over 50 applications annually from the local agencies.
• The program embodies the best of what FHWA is trying to achieve through its Every Day Counts initiative—making safety improvements through a multidisciplinary data-driven process as quickly as possible.

Contact

Ping (Peter) Hsu, P.E.
FDOT, D7 Assistant District Traffic Operations Engineer (Safety)
813-975-6251
Ping.Hsu@dot.state.fl.us