Assessment of Local Road Safety Funding, Training, and Technical Assistance

Preface

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides national leadership in identifying, developing, and delivering safety programs and products to local governments to improve highway safety on local roads. To better understand the safety resources administered to local agencies, FHWA performed an assessment of safety resources available to local agencies. This report compiles and documents State department of transportation (DOT) practices used to develop and deliver local road safety initiatives. The assessment consisted of a literature review and research, input from an expert practitioner panel, and analysis of questionnaire responses and case study interviews.

Literature Review and Research – The FHWA reviewed existing research reports to identify the noteworthy practices States use to distribute funds to local agencies for safety projects as well as the barriers and challenges related to implementation of safety projects on local roads. The following reports were particularly helpful during the assessment:

• Implementing the High-Risk Rural Roads Program, FHWA, March 2010;
• Strategic Highway Safety Plan Implementation Process Model Case Studies, FHWA, June 2010;
• Highway Safety Improvement Program Noteworthy Practice Series, FHWA, 2011;
• Noteworthy Practices: Addressing Safety on Locally Owned and Maintained Roads, FHWA, August 2010;
• NCHRP Research Results Digest 345 – Alternate Strategies for Safety Improvement Investments, April 2010; and
• Implementation Challenges with the Federal Safe Routes to School Program, April 2009.

These reports documented current funding, coordination, and technical assistance practices used by State DOTs and local agencies as well as typical challenges encountered. Analysis of these reports led to the development of a preliminary list of practices States use to deliver funding to local governments and a draft questionnaire to examine State DOT practices for providing resources to local agencies for road safety improvements.

Expert Practitioner Panel – An expert panel comprised of 10 practitioners was convened to provide insight into the most important research questions to be addressed and to finalize the questionnaire. The expert practitioner panel was made up of State DOT safety engineers (2), LTAP staff (1), local agency practitioners (2), and FHWA Office of Safety and Division staff (5). The expert panel gathered for a one-day meeting to review and discuss common challenges in local road safety and specific topics to be included in the questionnaire. Feedback from the practitioner panel was incorporated into the final questionnaire design.

Questionnaire Deployment and Analysis – The final component of the assessment consisted of the deployment of the questionnaire to State DOTs combined with follow up interviews to capture more in depth information and details.

The input of the expert panel and States that responded to the questionnaire and participated in follow-up interviews was invaluable to this effort. As a result of their efforts, State DOTs and other safety partners now have the information needed to successfully deliver funding and resources to local road safety programs and projects.

Return to top