Texas 2006 Five Percent Report

This report is in response to the Federal requirement that each state describe at least 5 percent of its locations currently exhibiting the most severe highway safety needs, in accordance with Sections 148(c)(1)(D) and 148(g)(3)(A), of Title 23, United States Code.  Each state’s report is to include potential remedies to the hazardous locations identified; estimated costs of the remedies; and impediments to implementation of the remedies other than costs.  The reports included on this Web site represent a variety of methods utilized and various degrees of road coverage.  Therefore, this report cannot be compared with the other reports included on this Web site.

Protection from Discovery and Admission into Evidence—Under 23 U.S.C. 148(g)(4) information collected or compiled for any purpose directly relating to this report shall not be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a Federal or State court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages arising from any occurrence at a location identified or addressed in the reports.

Additional information, including the specific legislative requirements, can be found in the guidance provided by the Federal Highway Administration,
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/fiveguidance.htm.

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HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
FIVE PERCENT REPORT

Texas Department of Transportation

August 31, 2006

HIGHWAY SEGMENTS/INTERSECTIONS EXHIBITING THE MOST SEVERE SAFETY NEEDS

LOCATION			POTENTIAL REMEDIES	ESTIMATED COST	IMPLEMENTATION IMPEDIMENTS	COMMENTS
COUNTY	PRIMARY ROADWAY	INTERSECTING ROAD
SAN JACINTO	US 59	FM 2914	GRADE SEPARATION	$13,308,000
BOSQUE	FM 219		IMPROVE GUARDRAIL & SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$645,400
HIDALGO	SH 107		INSTALL RAISED MEDIAN & ADD LEFT TURN LANE	$916,000
ANGELINA	FM 1669		SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$765,900
VAN ZANDT	SH 64	SH 243	IMPROVE TRAFFIC SIGNAL	$38,900
HOCKLEY	SH 114		SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$83,700
HIDALGO	FM 907	EARLING	INSTALL INTERSECTION FLASHING BEACON	$22,900
LEON	US 79	CR 224	ADD LEFT TURN LANE	$271,300
TARRANT	SH 121		INSTALL MEDIAN BARRIER	$328,900
CALDWELL	IH 10		INSTALL MEDIAN BARRIER	$387,600
WILLIAMSON	FM 619		WIDENING	$392,300
ELLIS	FM 1446		WIDENING	$2,200,000
ANGELINA	FM 1336		WIDENING	$630,000
JIM WELLS	FM 1352		WIDENING	$1,726,000
GILLESPIE	OLD CENTERPOINT		INSTALL WARNING/GUIDE SIGNS, IMPROVE GUARDRAIL AND SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$52,800
TRAVIS	BRAKER		IMPROVE GUARDRAIL AND SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$65,600
TRAVIS	SLAUGHTER		IMPROVE GUARDRAIL AND SAFETY TREAT FIXED OBJECTS	$112,600

Additional Information:

1. Description of Methodology Used

   This report contains the top 5% of projects, by category, programmed in the most recent Texas Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). Projects were ranked in six separate categories using the Safety Improvement Index (SII). In its most basic form, the SII is the ratio of the cost of crashes that have occurred at a location to the cost of constructing the proposed improvement. The SII incorporates adjustments to provide additional benefit for:

   • locations experiencing increasing traffic over the project life
   • improvements that will reduce maintenance costs
   • projects expected to have long service lives over which construction costs can be amortized

   The six categories looked at were:

   • Grade Separations
   • Left Turn Lanes
   • Median Barriers
   • Widening
   • Miscellaneous Hazard Elimination Improvements
   • Off-System Improvements

   There were 291 total projects programmed. The above table represents the top 5% of each category.

2. Extent of public road coverage

   The most current HSIP that these locations were selected for funding in was open to improvements on all public roadways.

3. Years used in data analysis

   The most recent 3 years of crash data for Texas was used in the data analysis: 1999 – 2001. All levels of crash severity were used with Fatal and Incapacitating crashes being weighted the heaviest in regards to crash cost.

4. State Contact Person/Office

   Margaret A. Moore, P.E.
   Engineer of Traffic
   Traffic Operations Division/Texas DOT