Innovation of the Month:
Data-Driven
Safety Analysis
Nearly half of the Nation’s traffic
fatalities occur on local roads, creating a need for local agencies to invest
their limited safety dollars strategically. To help local agencies plan
effective investments, the Every Day Counts round four (EDC-4) deployment team
on data-driven safety analysis (DDSA)
is advancing locally targeted initiatives.
One focus of the EDC-4 DDSA team is
local road safety plans
(LRSPs), which identify, analyze, and prioritize safety improvements and
strategies for local roads. The team partnered with the National Association of
County Engineers on a pilot project to help 25 counties in California,
Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin develop LRSPs tailored to local
issues and needs.
The pilot provides agencies with a
blended learning experience that includes technical assistance, a series of
webinars, and a hands-on workshop to help participants develop a draft LRSP. As
counties in a State develop plans, they share their experience with peers in
other counties and encourage them to invest time in developing their own plans.
View a webinar on DDSA for local
roads.
See a library of DDSA resources.
Contact Jerry Roche of the Federal
Highway Administration Office of Safety or John
McFadden of the FHWA Resource Center for information, training, and
technical assistance.
Historic Bridge Move Reduces Traffic Impact
in Oklahoma
In a first for the State, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) used self-propelled modular transporters—computer-controlled vehicles that carry large structures
and position them precisely—to install two railroad bridge spans over I-235 in
Oklahoma City over a weekend. Using accelerated bridge construction to build the bridge truss structures near the interstate
and move them into place greatly reduced the impact on traffic, requiring a
road closure from Friday night to Monday morning rather than for several months
if traditional construction methods were used. ODOT used DOT and railroad coordination best practices on the project, including working with one
point of contact at BNSF Railway, conducting regular meetings on project
status, and creating a flow chart for the document submission and approval
process to enhance efficiency. The bridge is part of a reconstruction and
widening project on I-235. For information, contact Souzan Bahavar of the FHWA Oklahoma Division.
See the Latest
Issue of Innovator
Read the new issue of the Innovator
newsletter to learn how projects using EDC innovations are enhancing safety and
saving lives on the Nation’s roadways. Also, read more about the local road
safety plan pilot to help local agencies invest their safety dollars
strategically, as well as State and community efforts to deploy strategies to
improve pedestrian safety at uncontrolled crossing locations.
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