USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Learn Safety
                        Noteworthy Practices


            
            In This Section
        Learn Safety
                About RSPCB
                Road Safety Fundamentals
                Roadway Safety Noteworthy Practices
                                Search Noteworthy Practices
                Resources
                Training and Education
                                Overview
                Training Opportunities
                Road Safety Course Finder
                NHI Courses
                Roadway Safety Champions
                Get Help
                                Overview
                Technical Assistance Guidelines
                Technical Assistance Online Application
                Safety Data Dashboard
                
                HSIP Program Evaluation and Progress Reporting in New York
**Publication Year:** 
            2017
    
        Problem/Issue

			The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is a decentralized organization comprised of 11 regions. As part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), the central office sends out a list of Priority Investigative Locations (PILs) and High Accident Locations (HALs) to the regions each spring. The regions use this information to create their Annual Regional Work Program. Specifically, the regions conduct approximately 350 Highway Safety Investigations (HSIs) annually to evaluate 20 percent of the high crash locations. The HSIs result in capital projects, which are often low-cost safety improvements, but can include more costly reconstruction projects at locations with correctable crash patterns.

			While the regions are responsible for implementing safety projects, the central office is primarily responsible for conducting evaluations and tracking statewide statistics and progress as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The central office developed an annual HSIP report and statewide progress report, but these were the only feedback mechanisms for both the State and the regions. The central office wanted a way to track overall progress toward the regional work plans and several other organizational goals: HSI completion, percent obligation of HSIP funds, and implementation of focused safety programs (e.g., installation rates of centerline rumble strips and pedestrian countdown timers). When the central office gathered regional representatives to present a statewide progress report, the regions requested more nuanced reports to show progress at the regional level.

			Prior to developing regional reports, it was important to the central office to stress that reporting at the regional level was not intended to highlight individual regions for lagging behind or not meeting goals. Rather, the intent was to improve performance management and encourage regions through positive feedback. If a region was lagging behind, then the central office worked with the region to identify and resolve the challenges or issues.

			Solution

			As a result, NYSDOT now implements an activity-based approach to program evaluation and progress reporting. The central office develops quarterly reports that contain a number of performance measures—both automated and manual components—including the number of activities performed by each region. Then, the central office gathers the regional traffic engineers to present and review the progress reports.

			The report is a management tool that aims to provide a summary of the State’s progress as a whole, track work plan progress, and bring any regional resource or process issues to light for discussion. As the regions identify issues, they can work together with the central office to develop solutions. To allay some of the concerns that the reports would negatively highlight some regions over others, the central office only distributes the quarterly reports internally and only distributes the regional dashboards to the individual region. Executive management and regional traffic engineers receive the reports, which emphasize areas in need of improvement and areas of excellence. Additionally, NYSDOT provides one-page dashboards summarizing fatalities, serious injuries, and progress toward SHSP emphasis area performance measures.

			Benefits

			NYSDOT uses the quarterly reports to continually track and evaluate HSIP projects and programs. For example, the central office tracks the number of times a site appears on the HSI list, which allows them to assess how well the system is working. The documentation of HSIs and follow-up evaluations of resulting projects helps to defend against tort claims. Regional traffic engineers are also positioned to track and evaluate projects in their regions. This improves their knowledge of the greatest needs and challenges as well as the most successful projects. Together, the central and regional offices have a better understanding of how activities and projects contribute to the statewide safety goals and outcomes.

			One region in particular was falling behind due to resource management issues. When their progress was revealed in the quarterly report, the region worked with the central office to modify its processes and allocate resources more effectively, resulting in a dramatic improvement that was reflected in subsequent progress reports.

			Although the detailed reports were initially requested by the regions, the data they provide has helped achieve both regional and central office goals. Now, the central office better understands the importance of messaging and project rollout, which have become important for progress reporting. In turn, the ongoing communication from the central office has led to improved project tracking and ownership at the regional level.

			The reporting practice has also created opportunities for additional improvements across the system. For example, the central office identified the opportunity to enhance HSIP evaluation practices by reducing the number of HSIs required.

			Contact

			Regina Doyle
			New York State Department of Transportation
			(518) 485-0164Regina.Doyle@dot.ny.gov U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us