New Resources for High Friction Surface Treatments (HFST)
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The Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD) initiative is supported by 4 pillars:
- All Public Roads
- Proven Countermeasures
- Systemic Approach
- Safety Action Plans
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High Friction Surface Treatments, or HFST, are one of the proven countermeasures that can make a difference.
HFST is a safety treatment for spot locations like curves and intersections. It uses calcined‐bauxite aggregate bonded to the road surface with a polymer resin binder to provide outstanding friction for many years.
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Most DOT's have installed HFST on at least 1 location on state routes and local agencies have begun to embrace HFST to improve safety on their roads. Thurston County, Washington demonstrated the use of HFST in 2012 and has since applied it at 29 locations.
Recently, St. Louis County, Minnesota installed HFST on 10 curves that were identified as part of a systemic analysis.
Maricopa County, Arizona installed the HFST at 2 locations based on crash history.
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Photo Source: Maricopa County, Arizona
New Storyboard
A storyboard has been posted to the FHWA website that provides information on the use of HFST. It also includes information from St. Louis County, Minnesota and Maricopa County, Arizona.
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Crash Modifications Factors show that HFST works!
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Two research reports that were published in September and November, 2020 found that HFST reduced a significant number of curve crashes and the the friction was maintained over time.
The first report (FHWA-HRT-20-061) evaluated crash data from 157 curves treated with HFST in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. The research found statistically significant reductions of the following crash types:
- Total crashes - 57% reduction
- Injury Crashes - 48% reduction
- Roadway Departure Crashes - 72% reduction
- Wet-road crashes - 83% reduction
- Opposite direction crashes - 31% reduction
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The second report (FHWA-HRT-20-062) evaluated the change in friction provided by an HFST using friction measurements collected before and after installation on 99 curves in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The results of these evaluations verified the effectiveness of HFST to dramatically increase the friction of virtually any pavement surface on both curves and ramps.
HFST was also shown to maintain high levels of friction over time and under high traffic exposure.
For more information on FoRRRwD, contact Cate Satterfield or Dick Albin. For more information on HFST, contact Joe Cheung.
All photos owned by FHWA unless otherwise noted.
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