USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Noteworthy Practices

Subscribe to Noteworthy Practices
Left Nav - HSA Learn Safety
Noteworthy Practices

Partnerships to Use High Risk Rural Road Special Rule Funds Result in Successful Collaboration with Federal, State, and Local Agencies in Colorado

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

While analyzing crash history and crash patterns along County Road 306 in Colorado, analysts found roadway departures were common. As a curvy, high mountain pass road in south-central Colorado, County Road 306 would benefit from low-cost countermeasures and safety strategies such as signing, striping, and guardrail improvement.

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

Initially, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) thought Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds could be the solution. However, in 2017, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notified CDOT that the High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Special Rule (SR) would apply to Colorado in fiscal year 2018, which required CDOT to obligate a certain amount of funds to HRRR in the State.

Describe the practice.

CDOT realized the County Road 306 project presented a perfect opportunity for obligating HRRR funds. CDOT’s regional and headquarter staff worked with the FHWA Colorado Division Office to transfer HRRR funds to FHWA’s Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) to fund the safety improvements. FHWA-CFLHD administered the project on County Road 306 in cooperation with Chaffee County, the U.S. Forest Service, Pike National Forest, and San Isabel National Forest.

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

The project was an example of innovative partnering efforts and successful collaboration to improve safety and help reduce crashes along a high risk rural road. CDOT understood the value of matching a problem to a solution and found an innovative way to apply HRRR SR funds and save lives.

What benefits were realized as a result of the practice?

The project included roadway rehabilitation and resurfacing funded by the Federal Land Access Program grant, as well as safety improvements made possible by HRRR SR funds. Safety improvements included: upgraded guardrail systems, installed signing and striping, applied SafetyEdge™ technology for asphalt surfacing, and a 6-foot-wide bike lane on a portion of the roadway connected with existing bike lanes in Buena Vista. CDOT plans to evaluate the project’s effect on safety when more years of after-crash data are available.

Florida: Safe Mobility for Life Coalition

  • The Safety Concern: Increasing rates of aging-driver crashes.
  • The Solution: Creation of the Safe Mobility for Life Coalition.
  • The Result: Safer mobility for the aging population.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Florida: Texas-Americana Road Safety Small Area Study

  • The Safety Concern: Elevated crash rates on local roadways and intersections.
  • The Solution: Launch of a small-area Road Safety Audit.
  • The Result: Identification and remediation of safety concerns.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Washington: 2014 County Safety Program

  • The Safety Concern: Most effective disbursement of HSIP funds to local agencies.
  • The Solution: Implementation of a County Safety Program.
  • The Result: HSIP funding directed toward highest priority targets.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Montana: Roadway Departure Study and Safety Information Management System

  • The Safety Concern: Need for more robust safety analysis.
  • The Solution: Development of safety performance functions and the software with which to use them to evaluate actual performance against a baseline.
  • The Result: Increased ability to incorporate safety into more functions of the DOT.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Virginia: Road Diets in Reston

  • The Safety Concern: Speeding and crashes on a 4-lane undivided road.
  • The Solution: Implementation of a Road Diet.
  • The Result: Safer operating speeds and sharp decreases in crashes.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Florida: Advanced Lighting Measurement System

  • The Safety Concern: Collecting crucial data on lighting intensity was labor intensive, expensive, and dangerous.
  • The Solution: Deployment of an Advanced Lighting Measurement System.
  • The Result: Significantly higher quantities of data collected using this safer, more cost-effective methodology.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)

Arkansas: Improving Interstate Safety with Pavement Surface Treatments

  • The Safety Concern: High rates of wet-weather roadway departure crashes on the Interstate.
  • The Solution: Treatment of pavement with ultra-thin bonded wearing course.
  • The Result: Significant decreases in roadway departure crashes related to wet conditions.

(2015 National Roadway Safety Awards - Winner)