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FHWA Home / Safety / Local and Rural Road / Implementing A Local Road Safety Plan

Implementing A Local Road Safety Plan

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Cover of the Implementing A Local Road Safety Plan webinar.

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Implementing A Local Road Safety Plan

June 29, 2020

presented by

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Safety

United States Department of Transportation logo.

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Presenters

This is a list of the presenters for this webinar, accompanied by a headshot of each. Pam Beer, Cambridge Systematics; Molly O’Brien, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.; Tracy Shandor, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.; Cassie Parker, South Central Regional Safety Coalition; Andrew McGuire, Keokuk County, IA; Stephen McCall, Champaign County, OH.

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Housekeeping

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Overview

This is a photo of a truck and car passing someone driving farm equipment.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Introduction.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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What is an LRSP?

This is a photo of a two-lane rural road with a double center line. The road runs through a mountainous area.

Photo courtesy of Molly O’Brien, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

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An LRSP is a FHWA proven safety countermeasure that provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads.

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Implementing an LRSP

This is a photo of a rural road going through a mountainous area with a number of curves.

Photo courtesy of Molly O’Brien, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

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While several States and local agencies have adopted this approach as a tool to improve safety on their local roads, many are finding it difficult to go from development to implementation.

This Implementing A Local Road Safety Plan report provides strategies local agencies and states have used to overcome barriers and challenges to successfully implement their plans along with noteworthy practices currently being used across the nation.

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Successful Implementation

This is a photo of a traffic crash along a rural roadway.

Photo courtesy of Neil Hetherington WTI-MSU

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Successful implementation includes the following elements:

Successful implementation, however, can vary by jurisdiction.

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Successful Example

Washington State experienced a 20 percent reduction in horizontal curve crashes, 30 percent reduction in overturn crashes, and a 13 percent reduction in angle crashes on county roads.

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Implementing an LRSP works. Washington State saw a 20 percent reduction in crashes on horizontal curves, and 30 percent reduction in overturn crashes after a number of counties in the state implemented their LRSP.

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Long Range Safety Plan Development

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Impacts to Implementation

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How an LRSP is developed plays a large part in the ability of a locality or region to successfully implement their plan. Some development activities that can make the transition to implementation easier are:

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Existing Plans

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If an LRSP already exists for your agency and you are ready to move into implementation or if there are struggles with moving into implementation, these actions may help jump start the process:

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LRSP Differences

This is a photo of a pick-up truck driving down a dirt rural road.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Several areas of differences in LRSP development include:

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Steps for Successful Implementation

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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1. Maintain Buy-In and Support; 2. Identify Funding Mechanisms; 3. Identify and Prioritize Projects; 4. Determine Project Delivery Methods; 5. Evaluate Effectiveness; 6. Continue Communication and Coordination.

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Step 1 – Maintain Buy-In and Support

This is a photo of a man giving a presentation to a group of people.

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There are four things to do to maintain buy in and support for LRSP implementation:

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Step 1 – Maintain Buy-In and Support

Recommendations

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Following are recommendations that will help to maintain support and buy-in for implementation of the LRSP.

Maintaining buy-in and support from officials and stakeholders during implementation is not a one-time activity. It is an ongoing process that needs to be maintained throughout so individuals understand what is being accomplished.

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Step 1 – Louisiana Houma-Thibodaux MPO – Cassie Parker

Cover of the South Central Regional Transportation Safety Plan report.

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Cassie Parker with the South Central Regional Safety Coalition that is part of the Houma-Thibodaux MPO will describe how she maintained support and buy-in from the MPO board for their regional safety plan.

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Step 2 – Identify Funding Mechanisms

This is a photo showing a bicyclist on a two-lane rural road.

Photo courtesy of Neil Hetherington WTI-MSU

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There is a variety of available funding for LRSP implementation.

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Step 2 – Identify Funding Mechanisms

Recommendations

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Step 2 – Caltrans

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Caltrans developed the “Local Roadway Safety: A Manual for California’s Local Road Owners,” which included guidance on the HSIP application process and the types of safety improvements that could be funded under HSIP and local match requirements. To further encourage local agencies to apply for HSIP funds, Caltrans then developed SSARP to address local agency reluctance to apply for HSIP funding because it was tied to Federal funding requirements and they did not have the resources to meet those requirements. The SSARP assisted local agencies with the information needed for their HSIP application. Many of the applications were to fund an LRSP development process.

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Step 3 – Identify and Prioritize Projects

This is a photo of an automatic speed warning sign showing “SLOW DOWN” in a neighborhood area.

Photo courtesy of Brian Keierleber, Buchanan County, IA

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Identification of LRSP projects usually takes place during the LRSP development. However, there may be a need to further identify projects during implementation. There are a variety of ways that projects can be identified and prioritized:

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Step 3 – Identify and Prioritize Projects

Recommendations

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Following are recommendations that will help identify and prioritize projects in the LRSP:

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Step 3 – Washington State

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Determining the right projects that would yield results at the local level was a key concern of the Washington State DOT. The DOT was highly supportive of the LRSP process but wanted to ensure counties in the State had enough knowledge and information to select and implement cost-effective projects. The DOT provided each county with crash statistics, conducted training on the systemic safety analysis process and a workshop on project prioritization. Cowlitz County, WA, one of the first counties in the State to develop an LRSP, developed a list of prioritized projects based on the crash data and information gained through the workshop and training. They also provided an estimated cost for each project. This list was submitted to the DOT, and the DOT made the final decision on what was implemented in the county.

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Step 4 – Deliver Projects

This photo shows construction being done on a road.

Photo courtesy of Brian Keierleber, Buchanan County, IA

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After a project has secured all the necessary funding, the next step is project delivery which is where a project is taken from concept to completion. Elements in project delivery include:

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Step 4 – Deliver Projects

Recommendations

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There are several creative ways that LRSP projects can be implemented through different project delivery methods including the following:

Agencies should also consider the project delivery methods identified to aid with implementation of their LRSPs.

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Step 4 – Keokuk County, IA

This is a photo of a two-lane road with a double center line.

Photo courtesy of Andrew McGuire, Keokuk County, IA

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Step 5 – Evaluate Implementation

This is a photo of a two-lane road going through a small rural downtown.

Photo courtesy of Molly O’Brien, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

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There are two primary types of evaluation – outcome and output evaluation and process evaluation.

Outcome evaluation is used to determine if there was an impact from the implementation of the engineering and behavioral improvements in the LRSP. Usually this is reductions in traffic related fatalities and serious injuries on local roads. Output evaluation determines whether the project was completed which answers one of the two basic questions of evaluation – did we do what we said we would do and was it effective. Output evaluation usually counts things like the number miles where rumble strips have been installed.

Process Evaluation can be used to identify potential opportunities and inform future decision making, which can lead to process changes. Local agencies respond to citizen complaints, but it is important to have data on hand to show that what the agency is implementing will have a lasting and beneficial impact on safety. A citizen might complain about a “dangerous” intersection, but an examination of the data could reveal the location was not an issue from a crash perspective.

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Step 5 – Evaluate Implementation

Recommendations

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Conducting an evaluation on projects after they are implemented can be valuable to educate and obtain support from the community for implementation of future projects. Additionally, the evaluation results can help agencies determine what types of projects to focus on for future efforts.

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Step 5 – Minnesota

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In Minnesota, the DOT has defined success as the 85-90 percent of the counties that have implemented a project from the LRSP. The DOT receives over 100 applications for funding each year. St. Louis County, MN also reported that between 2012 and 2017 there was a 35% reduction in the fatality rate on the statewide county road system.

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Step 6 – Communication & Coordination

This is a photo of a local road safety plan workshop in Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of FHWA

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Implementation requires greater emphasis on marketing and communication to keep interest in the LRSP active and alive. Some activities that are needed include:

Coordination with State DOT and LTAP – Often localities that have developed and are now implementing LRSPs have close working relationships with the DOT and the LTAP.

Outreach to Other Stakeholders – Several localities are looking to other stakeholders such as law enforcement and behavioral highway safety specialists to broaden implementation of the LRSP by bringing in different perspectives on highway safety problems. Examples of this different perspective can be information on what law enforcement sees as they travel the roadways or what they have found when investigating a crash. Behavioral safety specialists may have ideas on how the LRSP can help change the safety culture in the locality or region by also focusing on road user behavior issues.

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Step 6 – Communication & Coordination

Recommendations

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To keep communication going and the LRSP at the forefront and ensure greater coordination consider the following:

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Step 6 – Champaign County, OH

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Conclusion

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Steps to Consider

Cover for the Implementing a Local Road Safety Plan report.

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While development of LRSPs is widespread, implementation of LRSPs has been challenging for some agencies. Some steps to consider for implementation:

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The Report

FHWA-SA-20-025

Back cover for the Implementing a Local Road Safety Plan report.

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For More Information

Rosemarie Anderson
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Safety
Rosemarie.Anderson@dot.gov

Karen Scurry
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Safety
Karen.scurry@dot.gov

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Question & Answer

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Page last modified on August 24, 2020
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