U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2013 CONTACT: Cathy Gillen |
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(Washington, DC) — At an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill, the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today recognized the Genesee County, MI Road Commission (GCRC) for its proactive Safety Improvement Plan for County Roads.
The GCRC maintains more than 1,813 miles of roadway and more than 250 signalized intersections. The GCRC recently developed a Safety Improvement Plan for County Roads that was funded jointly by the GCRC and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, sponsor of the U.S. Road Assessment Program (usRAP).
The plan development was based on the usRAP Tools software, an innovative software tool for identifying infrastructure improvement needs for safety. Elements of the safety improvement plan include shoulder paving, pedestrian crossings, sidewalk provisions, delineation improvements, lane widening, intersection signalization, left-turn lane provisions, roadside barriers, road surface improvements, and rail crossing upgrades.
The development of the plan was completed in early 2013 and is now proceeding to the programming and implementation stage.
"We are proud to honor the Genesee County Road Commission its innovative method of identifying opportunities to improve safety and for putting together such a comprehensive plan of improvements," said Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., Executive Director of the Roadway Safety Foundation. "By partnering with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and using the usRAP Tools software, the Genesee County Road Commission was able to make sure all roadway safety issues were addressed in the plan."
Road Commission Manager-Director John Daly described the project as "an investment in the safety of Genesee County motorists." Said Dr. Daly, "Our absolute top priority is the safety of the motoring public in Genesee County. This study was conducted by nationally recognized leaders in both the insurance industry and the road building industry. It gives us an independent look at risks associated with driving on our road system and provides recommendations for specific countermeasures to reduce crash risk and make our roads safer. It will aid in our selection of the right fix for the right location and it strengthens our request for federal safety dollars."
National Roadway Safety Award recipients were evaluated on three criteria – innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Program categories included infrastructure improvements, operational improvements, and program planning, development, and evaluation.
Blue Ribbon Panel Judges included: Philip J. Caruso, Deputy Executive Director for Technical Programs, Institute of Transportation Engineers; Gregory M. Cohen, P.E., Executive Director, Roadway Safety Foundation; William A. Crank, Senior Community Relations Manager, Michelin North America; Anthony Giancola, P.E., Consultant, formerly of the National Association of County Engineers; Michael Griffith, Director, FHWA Office of Safety Technologies; Tony Kane, Consultant, formerly of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and Richard Pain, Transportation Safety Coordinator, Transportation Research Board.
Roadway safety programs are a critical part of the nation's solutions to saving lives and preventing injuries on our nation's highways. There were 32,367 people killed in traffic crashes on U.S. roads in 2011.
The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation present the biennial Roadway Safety Awards to programs and projects across the nation exhibiting excellence in roadway design, operations and planning. The RSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and educational organization solely dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America's roadways.
For additional information on RSF, please visit www.roadwaysafety.org; on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/roadwaysafetyfoundation; and on Twitter at @roadway_safety, #RoadwaySafetyAwards.
For additional information on FHWA safety programs, please visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov; on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/pages/Federal-Highway-Administration; and on Twitter at @USDOTFHWA, #RoadwaySafetyAwards.
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ATTENTION EDITORS – Digital photographs of the award winners at the luncheon in Washington, DC will be available. Detailed information on the award winning programs can be found at www.roadwaysafety.org.
