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FHWA Home / Safety / HSIP / HSIP Noteworthy Practice Series

Project Eligibility

<< Use of the HSIP Flexible Funding Provision Table of Contents Strategic Highway Safety Plan - Leadership that Saves Lives >>

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The Focus is Results!

In 2009, motor vehicle fatalities reached levels not seen since 1950. Can all of this decline be attributed to the economic downturn leading to less roadway travel? The numbers say “no.” Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) have declined much less than the decrease in fatalities, giving credence to the fact the increased focus on and commitment to safety is paying off. Legislation in 23 USC 148 and advances in the science of safety have ushered in a different approach for states, regions, and localities to address safety issues and challenges, and the difference is clear.

By requiring the states to develop and implement Strategic Highway Safety Plans (SHSP) as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), HSIPs became part of a broader vision involving multiple stakeholders and integrating into the planning process. The clear purpose is to achieve significant reductions in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The new approach provides direction for achieving the purpose.

A formula apportions HSIP funds to state departments of transportation (DOT) to administer, but any public road or pathway,including those owned by local governments, can benefit. The objective is to target resources where they will be most effective, which means the focus is results.

Eligibility Criteria

All transportation projects should include an explicit consideration of safety and can be funded through a variety of Federal and state sources. To most effectively and efficiently apply limited HSIP funds, use the criteria below.

A Broader Safety Vision

The HSIP regulations provide examples of the types of projects eligible for HSIP funding (23 CFR 924). But the list is sufficiently flexible to allow states to program funds for those projects with the greatest potential to improve safety. Beyond traditional engineering countermeasures, such as guard rail and rumble strips, the HSIP supports other types of projects, such as transportation safety planning; traffic records improvement; road safety audits; and other enforcement-, education-, and emergency-response-related projects once certain criteria are met.

Key to funding any of these types of projects is identifying individual projects through a data-driven process reflecting the state’s SHSP and consistent with the true spirit of the HSIP program.

Checklist

Use this checklist when considering HSIP project selection.

Answering “Yes” to each of those questions is critical to ensuring the best use of HSIP funds consistent with the intent of 23 CFR 924.

For More Information

FHWA Division Offices
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/field.html

FHWA Office of Safety
202-366-2288
hsip@dot.gov

HSIP Resources and Guidance
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip

The Highway Safety Peer-to-Peer Program
877-473-0953 or HSIPP2P@dot.gov
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/p2p

<< Use of the HSIP Flexible Funding Provision Table of Contents Strategic Highway Safety Plan - Leadership that Saves Lives >>
Page last modified on June 17, 2011
Safe Roads for a Safer Future - Investment in roadway safety saves lives
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