Nebraska Department of Roads and LTAPs Encourage Local Agency Participation in County Sign Installation Programs

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) Local Projects Division and Nebraska Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center provide a systemic county sign installation program. Many of Nebraska's 93 counties do not have a county engineer. The program started because the State was receiving few High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) project applications. To encourage participation from local agencies, NDOR conducts a systemic safety analysis to identify potential sites (e.g., horizontal curves) for safety improvements based on risk. To market the program, the NDOR takes advantage of the Nebraska LTAP Center's contacts at local agencies throughout the State. The LTAP Center meets with the county superintendents and city supervisors and provides crash data and information about the project application process. Project site locations are selected by the counties. Counties agree to install signs according to the requirements of the Nebraska Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The Nebraska LTAP Center conducts spot checks to ensure proper installations.

Benefits

The program has helped Nebraska successfully obligate safety funds, especially the HRRRP. The program has received participation from 78 of Nebraska's 93 counties.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Louisiana DOTD and LTAP Partnership Improves Local Agencies' Capabilities to Develop Regional Safety Plans, Access Funding, and Implement Safety Improvements

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) established a Local Roads Safety Program in 2006 and despite early barriers and challenges, it has become a viable program aimed at improving highway safety on Louisiana's local road network. Today, the Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center administers the Local Road Safety Program and DOTD sets aside $3 to $5 million from its Section 154 and 164 Safety Transfer funds, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds, and High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) funds for local safety projects. (Note: MAP-21 continues two penalty transfer programs to encourage States to enact Open Container laws (Section 154) and Repeat Intoxicated Driver laws (Section 164). Any State that does not enact and enforce a conforming open container and repeat intoxicated driver law will be subject to a penalty transfer of funds. Additional information is available on the MAP-21 Guidance page.) Thanks to the successful partnership between LTAP and DOTD, technical assistance and funding is available to help local agencies implement infrastructure projects.

Within DOTD, no unit or department is responsible for administering local road safety projects, which is one of the main reasons for the partnership with LTAP. The DOTD Office of Safety provides funding to LA LTAP for a full-time traffic safety engineer/program manager, a part-time project engineer and two part-time traffic safety engineers.

The main component of the Louisiana LTAP program is to help local agencies develop the capability to solve local road safety problems using local resources or by accessing funds through the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) process. LTAP assists local agencies to identify, apply for, and administer local road infrastructure safety projects. Most recently, they have begun to assist the regional transportation safety coalitions with the identification and implementation of infrastructure improvements.

In 2011, DOTD divided the State into 10 regions and charged each with developing a regional safety coalition and a safety plan (a regional SHSP) to help with the implementation of the Louisiana SHSP. Each coalition reviews regional crash data to identify strategies and projects to reduce fatalities and serious injuries for impaired drivers, unbelted drivers, young drivers, and infrastructure-related crashes. LTAP works with the coalitions to identify and implement local infrastructure improvements for the plans in coordination with activities on the State system.

Benefits

To date, LTAP has provided local data, data analysis, and technical assistance to four regional coalitions. The most advanced coalition, the South Central Regional Transportation Safety Partnership, has conducted five Road Safety Audits (RSAs), and with the help of LTAP is preparing to apply for funding. LTAP also currently is working with coalition members (as well as individual parishes) to implement a system-wide/systemic approach to improving safety on horizontal curves. LTAP has located all horizontal curves on the local road system. LTAP is working with the local agencies and DOTD to develop a process to characterize and prioritize these curves based on certain criteria and to develop a manageable process to implement projects systemically.

In terms of next steps, LTAP, LSU, and DOTD are partnering on a three-year program to assemble roadway and traffic data on the local road system. This program will collect roadway characteristic and traffic data on all arterials, collectors and roads of significance for the local road system. This will continue to enhance LTAP's capability to work with the local agencies, share data, and collaborate on infrastructure improvements. LTAP is facilitating the development of a research project to develop better estimates of local road Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) which is necessary for many of the analytical tools currently being used to analyze for safety.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Ohio Local Road Safety Program's State and Local Collaboration Makes Safety a Local Priority

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

The Ohio Local Road Safety Program is a three-part collaboration among Ohio DOT (ODOT), the Ohio Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) center, and the County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO). The collaboration provides funding for local road safety improvements, offers training and technical assistance to local agencies, and assists with the administration of local safety projects.

ODOT dedicates $12 million of Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds annually to qualifying safety projects on county roads. The funds are administered by CEAO. ODOT also funds a position at CEAO to administer the county safety projects and provide technical assistance to counties as they develop and implement local safety projects. Once projects are approved for safety funding, they are administered by ODOT through the district offices or by local governments through the Office of Local Programs. The funding set aside specifically for county roads has enabled county engineers to take the lead in determining the improvement projects to fund. Providing funding for a CEAO position enables counties to administer projects with the assistance of the CEAO Program Manager.

Local agencies also are eligible to apply for HSIP funds through the statewide program managed by ODOT. Multidisciplinary committees review applications each year and award funds based on scored criteria and other factors, such as cost, compatibility between countermeasures and crash patterns, and relevance to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). ODOT provides crash data and user-friendly tools to help local governments analyze safety challenges and justify public investments.

Ohio LTAP has developed educational, outreach, and Road Safety Audit (RSA) programs designed to build safety knowledge at the local level. Participation in RSA programs and training has increased now that an incentive is tied to local agency RSA participation. Typically ODOT will fund low-cost safety improvements on corridors or at spot locations where RSAs are conducted; however, if an RSA identifies the need for larger, more costly improvements, ODOT sends task order consultants to assess the problem and the costs.

Benefits

ODOT's partnerships with LTAP and CEAO have successfully made safety a local priority. With over 2,300 local agencies in Ohio, about 75 percent of these governments have taken advantage of the training, technical assistance, and tools provided by ODOT, Ohio LTAP, and CEAO.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

ODOT's GCAT GIS Tool Helps Local Roadway Agencies Justify Funding Requests for Road Safety Improvement

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

Local roadway agencies need a method for obtaining the data necessary to justify funding requests for road safety improvement projects. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) developed a crash-mapping tool called GCAT (GIS Crash Analysis Tool), which is used to map the crashes occurring on the State's roadways. GCAT uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to produce spatially located (latitude/longitude) data. Crash data for all local roadways is available.

The tool is a web application and can be accessed from any computer on-line through the ODOT web site. Access to GCAT is free and easy to obtain for employees of the city, county, village, township, metropolitan planning organizations, law enforcement, and prequalified safety study consultants. Local agencies can submit a basic account request on-line and begin using the GCAT program once they are notified via email.

Benfit

Ohio DOT has seen an increase in project applications from local agencies as tools and training opportunities provide the means to justify safety problems and identify potential countermeasures.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Caltrans Uses Local Road Safety Manual to Improve its Data-driven Approach to Statewide Safety Project Selection

Summary from Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance: Benefit/Cost Tool and Local Road Safety Manual

Background

Fifty percent of California's Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds are dedicated to local roads. The approximately $100 million-per-year program is managed by the Caltrans Division of Local Assistance (DLA), which is responsible for programming the funds to local road safety projects. As a part of the process, DLA sets criteria for HSIP project applications, reviews applications for accuracy, and selects projects. The division does not identify the projects for the local jurisdictions or administer the projects once selected, but instead provides guidance, tools, and training so the local jurisdictions are empowered to make informed decisions on effective safety improvements.

When the HSIP program first started, the application process was very basic, but has evolved into a data-driven process. To improve Caltrans's overall data-driven approach to statewide safety project selection and to maximize the long-term safety improvements across California, DLA developed Local Roadway Safety: A Manual for California’s Local Road Owners. The manual provides an easy-to-use, straightforward, comprehensive framework of the steps and analysis tools local jurisdictions would need to proactively identify locations with roadway safety issues and the appropriate countermeasures.

Benefits

Developing this resource has improved local agencies' ability to perform benefit/cost calculations for project applications. Two-and-a-half years ago, the average benefit/cost ratio on a project was approximately 8, but currently it is approximately 13.5. Local agencies are submitting applications for projects with greater lifesaving benefits. Local agencies understand the necessity of the data-driven process. The division also has seen an increase in positive communication with local agencies.

Contact

FHWA Office of Safety staff contacts by safety function

Interoffice Safety Groups at Washington State DOT Use Quantitative Data Evaluation to Determine Strategies Across the 4Es

Original publication: Safety Data Decisionmaking at WSDOT

Background

Unique among State Departments of Transportation, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) does not have a centralized safety office. Rather, safety is central to decisionmaking across the agency; the offices of planning, traffic operations, design, risk management, and maintenance all work together to build and maintain safe roadways in the State. The agency's State-level highway safety program is coordinated by three cross-cutting groups: the Highway Safety Executive Committee, the Highway Safety Working Group, and the Highway Safety Issues Group.

The Practice

WSDOT relies upon these three cross-cutting groups to ensure that expert judgment guides the transportation planning and project selection process in Washington State. These three groups play an important role in identifying the State€™s safety needs and providing guidance to WSDOT regional offices in support of safety project selection.

Benefits

One key benefit of WSDOT's interoffice safety groups is their focused ability to address the factors contributing to crashes using a “4E” approach, which uses quantitative data evaluation of contributing factors to crashes to determine appropriate engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services strategies. This interoffice approach enables the agency to target statewide safety priorities by coordinating activities between various parts of the agency, including: programming, design, traffic operations, risk management, and maintenance. Due in part to the State's safety-related innovations, Washington has observed a continued reduction in the number of fatal crashes. In fact, Washington State has averaged 22 fewer traffic fatalities and 80 fewer serious injuries each year between 2002 and 2011 (see Figure 1). WSDOT anticipates that, with continued highway safety improvements, this figure will continue to decline.

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Provides Reduced Data-collection Costs to Local Agencies While Ensuring Data Consistency

Original publication: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's Local Agency Data Collection Effort

Background

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) recognizes the importance of data-driven operations, design, and safety decisionmaking on both State and local roadways. The State's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSPs) encourages the use of safety data analysis tools that make use of quality crash, roadway, and traffic data to improve safety outcomes. In an attempt to streamline the data collection process and reduce costs, LADOTD has encouraged local agencies and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to join a larger statewide data collection effort.

In 2010, LADOTD initiated a multi-year effort to collect roadway inventory data on all public roads in Louisiana. LADOTD began this effort in response to the strong need for roadway data and in anticipation of future requirements for data collection, such as those included in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21). The agency decided to collect all of the Fundamental Data Elements (FDE) - a subset of the Model Inventory of Roadway Elements (MIRE) identified by FHWA as necessary to enhance safety analyses on all public roads in preparation of a State's SHSP.

The Practice - Integrated Data Collection Efforts

• As part of this local data collection effort, the Department has taken steps to allow local agencies to add on additional data elements at reduced costs. While LADOTD is collecting the MIRE FDE, including the number of lanes, sidewalks, turn lanes, and type of intersections, there is a large set of additional data elements that LADOTD allows local agencies, MPOs, and parishes to collect at an additional cost.
• LADOTD contracted with Fugro Roadware in 2013 to collect data, including right-of-way videolog and asset inventory on all public roads, in three two-year cycles (see Figure 1). In addition to making the data available to local agencies at no cost, the contract allows for local agencies to collect additional data elements at a reduced fee (typically 10 percent off published rates).

Benefits

• Barriers to the use of roadway safety data by Local agencies are lifted. LADOTD provides reduced data-collection costs to local agencies, while also ensuring the consistency of local roadway data collected in the State.
• By reducing barriers to local data collection, LADOTD is supporting an enhanced understanding of local roads and their safety issues. Given that 73 percent of roadways in Louisiana are owned and maintained by local agencies, this expansion in data collection has the potential to make a large impact on roadway safety in the State.

Illinois DOT Provides Local Public Agencies with Assistance on the Use of Safety Data

Original publication: Safety Data Support to Local Public Agencies

Background

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is committed to reducing the number of fatalities on Illinois roadways. To this end, the IDOT Bureau of Safety Engineering, which was initially created in 2004, develops, implements, and manages a multi-faceted program to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries in the State of Illinois. As part of this mission, IDOT addresses traffic safety needs on both State-owned roads and roads owned by local public agencies (LPAs). Because local public roads constitute approximately 125,000 of the 145,000 centerline roadway miles in Illinois, improving local road safety is a major priority for IDOT.

One key component of improving safety on local roads is enhancing the safety data capabilities of LPAs and IDOT District Offices. IDOT's Bureaus of Safety Engineering and Local Roads and Streets offer safety analysis tools, provide safety data training and technical assistance, and promote local access to crash and roadway data.

Practices

• Safety Analysis and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Funding - IDOT uses a HSIP Benefit-Cost Tool that helps IDOT and LPAs determine whether a project is an appropriate and cost effective use of HSIP funding.
• Training - IDOT Bureau of Safety Engineering provides training on the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) directly to the nine District Offices in the State.
• Technical Assistance - IDOT Bureau of Safety Engineering also offers direct technical assistance to support safety programs and safety data analysis at the local level.
• Data Sharing - IDOT communicates safety data to counties and other LPAs through the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets and is working on a new Safety Portal that will provide LPAs with improved access to crash data.

Benefits

IDOT is working to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries due to crashes on Illinois' local roads. By promoting the use of the HSIP Benefit-Cost Tool, IDOT ensures that the HSIP project selection process makes the most economical use of limited safety funding. Through the use of improved safety data sharing abilities, Illinois has improved its project submittal process; safety projects are submitted more quickly than ever before. IDOT's technical assistance and data-sharing efforts allow the agency to support Illinois' counties as they program projects to improve the safety of local roads in the State. Overall, IDOT has seen a transition from reactive safety projects to a more proactive approach that considers common contributing factors to roadway safety.

Michigan Undertakes Initiatives to Encourage a Data-Driven Approach to Local Roadway Safety

Original publication: Initiatives to Encourage a Data-Driven Approach to Local Roadway Safety

Background

To maximize returns on investment in preparing, utilizing, and maintaining a strong safety data system, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has undertaken a number of programs that make use of roadway, traffic, and crash data to improve safety on local- and State-owned roads in the State of Michigan.

Like many states, Michigan faces the challenge of addressing a large number of fatal crashes on non-State-owned highways, which comprise roughly 90 percent of the roadway miles and the majority of roadway fatalities in Michigan. To improve safety on local roads, Michigan has participated in several initiatives that help bolster the State's multifaceted roadway safety program by providing local agencies with meaningful, timely access to crash data, as well as tools for data analysis and training to manage their safety processes.

The Practices

• Local Safety Initiative - A technical assistance offering, MDOT provides participating local agencies, as part of the Local Safety Initiative, with site-specific analysis, including ranking reports for intersections and segments. At no cost to local agencies, MDOT staff visit the agencies to conduct one- to two-day field reviews with staff to discuss locations of interest.
• Roadsoft - As part of its local safety efforts, MDOT supported the expansion of a GIS-based roadway management system known as Roadsoft. Among many other features and functions, Roadsoft provides local agencies timely crash data, as well as tools to analyze crash trends and diagnose crash patterns.
• Region-Specific Spreadsheets - As an early adopter of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM), MDOT participated in AASHTO's HSM Lead State Initiative, which encouraged highway agencies to use the HSM. As part of this initiative, MDOT developed an implementation plan for the HSM that included the regional calibration of predictive spreadsheets and Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) - equations that estimate expected average crash frequency as a function of traffic volume and roadway characteristics.
• Crash Reporting - In addition to the Local Safety Initiative, MDOT has also taken steps to address the quality of the crash collected on local and State-owned roadways. MDOT provides input into the Michigan State Police's training programs and materials to ensure quality reporting. Through the program, MDOT is able to emphasize what elements of crash reporting are of particular importance and how exactly they should be documented in the system.

Figure 1: Roadsoft's safety analysis tools allow users to visualize trends in roadway safety. (Courtesy of MDOT)

Benefits

Local agencies have a greater understanding of the impact of quality roadway safety data on local road safety. These initiatives help bolster the State's multifaceted roadway safety program by providing local agencies with meaningful, timely access to crash data, as well as tools for data analysis and training to manage their safety processes.

Integrating Safety Analysis in Project Development in Louisiana

Original publication: Roadway Safety Data and Analysis Case Study: Safety Analysis in Project Development in Louisiana

Background

The scope of this case study includes all public roads in Louisiana, and multiple operations within the LADOTD. Safety practices are implemented in the following areas:

• Maintenance: The project designers implement low cost safety countermeasures into the project such as pavement wedge, rumble strips, advance warning signs,and others from a list of baseline safety improvements provided by LADOTD. If a Road Safety Assessment/Audit (RSA) was performed for the project, then further countermeasures can be implemented as detailed in the RSA final report. Annually, the LADOTD processes approximately six-to-eight RSAs for preservation projects over the course of the year.¹
• Design: The crash data for the project site is reviewed to check for an abnormal section or of a prevailing collision type. In some cases, a predictive analysis is performed to compare the built condition to the existing condition. Engineers consider low cost safety improvements, and use the Crash Modification Factor (CMF) Clearinghouse to help select countermeasures. Overall, less than 10 percent of projects have design exceptions, which include projects in both rural and urban settings.²
• Environmental: Engineers gather data from the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HMPS). Gathering the full data element list required for the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) is labor intensive and consumed a majority of the time spent on the safety analysis. Engineers convert crashes to various dollar amounts based on severity of the crash by using a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report titled “The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes”³ and including the consumer price index.⁴ Finally, the designers consider the results of the cost-benefit analysis to select the preferred alternative.
• Work Zone Construction and Operations: Engineers perform a safety analysis for the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) and select the appropriate countermeasures to address identified issues as part of the construction phase. Analysts also use the CMF Clearinghouse to help identify countermeasures based on the observed crash types.
• Local roadways:The LADOTD funds a local road safety program. Engineers on staff at LADOTD work with the local agencies to perform the same type of advanced safety analysis that is performed for the State roads. Currently, the program is working on a systemic curve program.⁵

Key Accomplishments

• LADOTD established safety review guidelines in maintenance, design, environmental review, work zone construction and operations, and local roadway coordination.
• Safety data analysis is available to support decision makers' compliance with the safety review guidelines in each area.
• An example Transportation Management Plan increased work zone safety on an interstate (I-12) project by identifying an abnormally high crash rate and over-representation of speed related crashes which were addressed with additional enforcement.
• An example design exception showed the benefit of a low cost countermeasure in lieu of curve straightening on Interstate 10 based on an alternatives analysis using the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model.

LADOTD has promoted a statewide safety focus by integrating safety data analysis into a wide range of LADOTD and local agency decision processes.

Results

Through this effort, LADOTD has increased safety awareness throughout the Department and with local agencies. Cost savings, though difficult to precisely quantify, have improved the State's ability to use available funding for safety improvement in multiple contexts, and resulted in successful implementation of low-cost alternatives, and reduced crash risk during construction.

References

1. Road Safety Assessment (RSA) Process for Systems Preservation - April Renard, Dan Magri, Jim Chapman, Simone Ardoin, Mark Chenevert. Telephone Interview. April 8, 2014.
2. Safety Analysis in Design Exceptions - April Renard, Dan Magri, Chad Winchester, Joachim Umeozulu. Telephone Interview. April 9, 2014.
3. Blincoe, L, et al., et al. The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014. DOT HS 812 013.
4. Applying the Highway Safety Manual in NEPA using IHSDM. Renard, April. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board, 2012.
5. Safety Analysis and Data Collection for Local Roads - April Renard, Jason Chapman. Telephone Interview. April 3, 2014.

Contact

April Renard, P.E.
Engineer 5-LADOTD
april.renard@la.gov
(225) 379-1919

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD)
Highway Safety Section 1201 Capitol Access Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70802