State Practices for Local Road Safety (2016)

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NAT IONAL COOPERAT IVE H IGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM NCHRP SYNTHESIS 486 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2016 www.TRB.org Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration SubScriber categorieS Highways • Operations and Traffic Management • Safety and Human Factors State Practices for Local Road Safety A Synthesis of Highway Practice conSultantS Seri Park, Patrick McTish, and Jacob Holman Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania Anthony R. Giancola Washington, D.C. and James S.G. Davenport Arlington, Virginia

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway admin- istrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local inter- est and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increas- ingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating mem- ber states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council was requested by the Association to administer the re- search program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee struc- ture from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communication and cooper- ation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universi- ties, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Coun- cil is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identi- fied by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and quali- fied research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, how- ever, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to http://www.national-academies.org and then searching for TRB Printed in the United States of America NCHRP SYNTHESIS 486 Project 20-05, Topic 46-07 ISSN 0547-5570 ISBN 978-0-309-27206-3 Library of Congress Control No. 2015958461 © 2016 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FRA, FTA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, PHMSA, or TDC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessari- ly those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are con- sidered essential to the object of the report.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org. The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to increase the benefits that transportation contributes to society by providing leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied committees, task forces, and panels annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

TOPIC PANEL 46-07 DAVID BRAND, Madison County (OH), London, OH MATTHEW T. ENDERS, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia LYNNETTE M. FIRMAN, Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing W. SCOTT JONES, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City BERNARDO KLEINER, Transportation Research Board KEITH K. KNAPP, Institute for Transportation, Ames, IA JOHN M. MASON, JR., Auburn University, Auburn, AL BONNIE S. POLIN, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Boston MARK E. VIZECKY, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul ROSEMARIE ANDERSON, Federal Highway Administration (Liaison) SYNTHESIS STUDIES STAFF STEPHEN R. GODWIN, Director for Studies and Special Programs JON M. WILLIAMS, Program Director, IDEA and Synthesis Studies JO ALLEN GAUSE, Senior Program Officer GAIL R. STABA, Senior Program Officer DONNA L. VLASAK, Senior Program Officer TANYA M. ZWAHLEN, Consultant DON TIPPMAN, Senior Editor CHERYL KEITH, Senior Program Assistant DEMISHA WILLIAMS, Senior Program Assistant DEBBIE IRVIN, Program Associate COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS, Director, Cooperative Research Programs CHRISTOPHER HEDGES, Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program EILEEN P. DELANEY, Director of Publications NCHRP COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT 20-05 CHAIR BRIAN A. BLANCHARD, Florida Department of Transportation MEMBERS STUART D. ANDERSON, Texas A&M University SOCORRO “COCO” BRISENO, California Department of Transportation DAVID M. JARED, Georgia Department of Transportation CYNTHIA L. JONES, Ohio Department of Transportation MALCOLM T. KERLEY, NXL, Richmond, Virginia JOHN M. MASON, JR., Auburn University CATHERINE NELSON, Salem, Oregon ROGER C. OLSON, Bloomington, Minnesota BENJAMIN T. ORSBON, South Dakota Department of Transportation RANDALL R. “RANDY” PARK, Utah Department of Transportation ROBERT L. SACK, New York State Department of Transportation FRANCINE SHAW WHITSON, Federal Highway Administration JOYCE N. TAYLOR, Maine Department of Transportation FHWA LIAISON JACK JERNIGAN TRB LIAISON STEPHEN F. MAHER Cover figure: Left corner—Centerline rumble strips of rural local road (Credit: Saint Louis County Public Works Department, Minnesota); Right upper corner—Representatives from different agencies and disciplines conducting Road Safety Audit (RSA) (Credit: Connecticut Technology Transfer Center); Right lower corner—MnDOT 4E safety workshop (Credit: Minnesota Department of Transportation).

Highway administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which infor- mation already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and prac- tice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem. There is information on nearly every subject of concern to highway administrators and engi- neers. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire highway community, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials—through the mechanism of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program—authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study, NCHRP Project 20-5, “Synthesis of Infor- mation Related to Highway Problems,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an NCHRP report series, Synthesis of Highway Practice. This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems. FOREWORD Three-quarters of all road miles in the United States are owned and maintained by local entities. More than half of all fatal crashes occur on rural roads, which are mostly owned by local entities. This study documents the state transportation agency programs and practices that address local agency road safety. Findings of the study include information on state program size, funding sources, and administrative procedures; changes in local road safety programs since the legislation of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21); noteworthy local/state program partnerships and initiatives to improve safety; and the use of 4E (Engineering, Enforcement, Education, and Emergency Services) approaches to local road safety. Seri Park, Patrick McTish, and Jacob Holman, Villanova University, Villanova, Penn- sylvania; Anthony R. Giancola, Washington, D.C.; and James S.G. Davenport, Arlington, Virginia, collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on the preceding page. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand. PREFACE By Jon M. Williams Program Director Transportation Research Board

CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY 3 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background, 3 Synthesis Objective, 3 Study Approach, 4 Literature Review, 4 Survey of State Transportation Agencies, 4 Interviews with Transportation Practitioners in Ten States, 4 Organization of Report, 4 Definitions, 5 7 CHAPTER TWO STATE COORDINATED PROGRAMS ADDRESSING LOCAL ROAD SAFETY IN THE UNITED STATES Overview, 7 State Overview, 9 14 CHAPTER THREE SURVEY ON STATE PRACTICES FOR LOCAL ROAD SAFETY Introduction, 14 Organization Structure and Local Road Programs, 14 Local Road Safety Information, Resources, and Funding, 14 Safety Program Funding and Priority Setting, 19 Local Road Safety Plan, 21 Project Development, Implementation, and Administration, 21 Use of Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Response Approaches to Safety, 21 Use of Other Tools in Local Road Safety, 23 Project Development and Implementation, 23 Project Administration, 23 Noteworthy State Coordinated Local Agency Safety Program Partnerships and Challenges, 28 31 CHAPTER FOUR CASE EXAMPLES OF STATE COORDINATED SAFETY PROGRAMS ADDRESSING LOCAL ROADS Introduction, 31 Topic Area Description, 31 Program Development and Funding, 31 Project Delivery and Operations, 31 Data Support, 31 Education, Outreach, and Technical Assistance, 31 Toward Zero Deaths, 31

40 CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS Literature Review Summary and Conclusions, 40 Survey Summary and Conclusions, 40 Knowledge Gaps and Future Research, 41 43 GLOSSARY 45 REFERENCES 49 BIBLIOGRAPHY A-1 APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONS AND RESULTS B-1 APPENDIX B LIST OF INTERVIEWEES C-1 APPENDIX C REPORTED SAFETY PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES AIMED AT LOCAL ROAD SAFETY OF TEN SELECTED STATES D-1 APPENDIX D SAMPLE DOCUMENTS OF PRACTICES RELATED TO LOCAL ROAD SAFETY (WEB-ONLY) E-1 APPENDIX E LINKS TO RESOURCES IDENTIFIED Note: Photographs, figures, and tables in this report may have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions.