Department of Transportation

Office of Project Development

700 E Broadway Avenue

Pierre, South Dakota 57501-2586 

605-773-3268

FAX: 605-773-6608

MEMORANDUM

TO: Darin P. Bergquist, Secretary 

Ginni Tsu, Acting Division Administrator, SD Division Federal Highway Administration

Sharon Johnson, Traffic & Safety Engineer, SD Division Federal Highway Administration

Joel Jundt, Director, Division of Planning & Engineering

Mike Behm, Program Manager, Office of Project Development

Brace Prouty, Engineering Supervisor, Office of Project Development

Lee Axdahl, Director, Department of Public Safety

FROM: Andy Vandel, Traffic Safety Engineer

 Office of Project Development

DATE: August 29, 2014

SUBJECT: Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Report – State FY14

Attached is the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) report for the South Dakota State Fiscal 

Year 2014 as per Section 148, Title 23 of MAP-21 under 23 U.S.C. § 148(h), and 23 CFR 924. 

If you have any questions, please give me a call at (605) 773-4421.
SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (HSIP)

ANNUAL REPORT

STATE FISCAL YEAR 2014

JULY 1, 2013 TO JUNE 30, 2014

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Program Administration

The South Dakota Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is administered through the 

Office of Project Development in the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT)

Central Office. The SDDOT uses Road Safety Audits (RSA), Roadway Safety Improvement (RSI) 

inspections, and a Safety Module software program to identify locations that would benefit from 

a safety improvement project. RSI inspections are developed by utilizing the South Dakota 

Department of Public Safety’s (SDDPS) crash reporting database, SDDOT’s roadway and traffic

data, and ArcMap software to determine high crash locations. Both the RSA process and RSI 

inspections are available for use on all public roadways in South Dakota. HSIP projects are 

selected for implementation by determining which project will result in the greatest safety 

improvement for the investment. The overall coordination and collaboration efforts for HSIP 

projects involve Regional SDDOT personnel, City representatives, County representatives, 

Township representatives, Consulting Firms, Law Enforcement representatives, among other 

agencies. The SDDOT HSIP process will be explained in further detail in the Program 

Methodology section of this report.

Program Methodology

SDDOT’s HSIP projects are identified by either Road Safety Audits (RSA), Roadway Safety 

Improvement (RSI) inspections, or the Safety Module software program. The RSI process was

established to identify safety improvement eligible locations that have a crash history of five or

more crashes (fatality, injury, and property damage crashes, animal hits are excluded) in the 

most current three year period. RSI locations can be identified on all public roadways in SD and 

can be at intersections or on segments of roadway. RSI locations are identified by utilizing the 

SDDPS’s crash reporting database, SDDOT’s Roadway and Traffic Data, and ArcMap software. 

RSI locations are also identified by the four SDDOT Regions, 14 Class one Cities (population =

5,000 or greater), law enforcement agencies, or County Highway Superintendents where there 

is a perceived safety issue. Once the preliminary locations are identified, they are evaluated 

further by calculating a crash rate for the location and reviewing crash summaries and collision 

diagrams. Crash summaries are analyzed to determine the types of crashes occurring and other 

crash related information such as; driver behavior, driver contributing circumstances, weather 

conditions, roadway surface condition, roadway alignment, and driver impairment. Collision 

diagrams are created to determine if patterned type crashes are occurring at the selected 

location.

Once the locations with the most serious issues or patterned type crashes are identified, a team

mainly consisting of the SDDOT Traffic Safety Engineer, SDDOT Region Traffic Engineer, FHWA 

Traffic and Safety Engineer, Traffic Design Engineer, a road design representative, law 

enforcement representatives, and a local government representative will conduct an on-site 

inspection and make a recommendation for safety improvements at the identified location. The 

safety improvement recommendations can range from upgrading pavement markings, signing, 
2

and traffic signals to reconstruction. If the recommended safety improvement is eligible for the 

use of safety funds, it may be programmed into the State Transportation Improvement Program 

(STIP) as a project. In the State FY 2014 STIP, there were no projects programmed that were 

identified through the RSI process.

The Safety Module software program uses the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) rural two lane 

crash predictive method to identify locations that have an actual crash frequency higher than 

the predicted crash frequency. The module then calculates a B/C ratio based on the 

recommended safety improvement cost.

South Dakota’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) identified roadway departure crashes as 

the leading cause of fatalities in South Dakota. Roadway departure crashes are identified by 

three types of crashes; fixed object hits off roadway, overturned on roadway, and overturned 

off roadway crashes. The proactive processes and projects implemented by the SDDOT to help 

decrease the number of lane departure crashes are RSAs, Countywide traffic control signing 

projects, durable pavement marking projects, and regionwide rumble strip/stripe projects. 

SDDPS’s crash reporting database and SDDOT’s roadway data layers in ArcMap are used to

create maps identifying roadway segments currently without rumble strips in place, the

functional classification of the roadway, the width of existing shoulders, the Average Daily 

Traffic (ADT), the total number of crashes, and the locations and number of the roadway 

departure crashes. Crash rates and the percentage of roadway departure crashes compared to 

the total number of crashes for a segment are also displayed on the maps. In State FY 2014,

region wide rumble strip/stripe projects were developed in each of the four Regions to have 

rumble strips/stripes installed on segments starting with those that have a higher occurrence of 

roadway departure crashes with respect to ADT, shoulders, and total crashes. A benefit/cost 

ratio may also be calculated to determine the prioritization of the segments once they are 

identified. 

The following systemic improvements align with the State’s SHSP and are programmed as part 

of the HSIP in the State FY 2015 STIP; edgeline rumble strips/stripes in each of the four DOT 

Regions, High Friction Surface Treatment projects at four horizontal curves, durable pavement 

marking projects in each of the four DOT Regions, and upgrading traffic control signing and 

delineation on County highway systems including township roads, and several towns. SDDOT 

has been implementing durable pavement marking projects, local government signing and 

delineation projects, and installing rumbles strips on resurfacing projects prior to the 

requirement to have a SHSP. 

SDDOT will continue to implement the above projects in the State FY 2015 STIP and will look 

into establishing systemic curve delineation improvements, safety edge improvements, shoulder 

width improvements, intersection improvements and roadway barrier improvements. South 

Dakota also continues to actively investigate proactive safety improvement projects, shifting its 

focus from a primarily reactive process to a proactive process. Procedures are being established 

and implemented, which will provide SDDOT with greater flexibility to use safety funds. 
3

PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING HSIP PROJECTS

HSIP Project Funding

The following is a summary of the HSIP funds programmed and obligated for State FY 2014. 

Funding Category Programmed Obligated

HSIP (Section 148) $ 10,634,000.00 $ 3,798,900.89

HRRRP (SAFETEA-LU)

HRRR Special Rule

Penality Funds - Section 154 $ 4,308,000.00 $ 4,381,855.60

Penality Funds - Section 164 $ 2,185,000.00 $ 2,220,360.73

Incentive Grants - Section 163

Incentive Grants (Section 406)

Other Federal-aid Fund (i.e. 

STP, NHPP)

State and Local Funds $ 1,181,555.56 $ 422,100.10

TOTAL $ 18,308,555.56 $ 10,823,217.32

HSIP Project Funding

Reporting Period 7/1/2013 to 6/30/2014

RSI and RSA inspections conducted both on state and local roads accounted for $0.160 of 

$18.309M programmed HSIP funds. Section 154 and 164 funds obligated on local government 

projects totaled $3.933M of the $6.493M programmed and $2.291M of the $6,602M obligated. 

These Section 154 and 164 projects included both county signing projects and local government 

traffic engineering services. 

The large difference between programmed and obligated HSIP (section 148) funds is due to 

one project where advanced construction funds were used and HSIP funds were not obligated 

until State FY 2015.
4

Listing of Projects let in State FY 2014

Letting Dates of projects below are between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. 
5

ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS (Program 

Evaluation)

Overview of General Highway Safety Trends

An overview of the highway safety trends for the past five years can be seen in the table below 

which was received from the SD Department of Public Safety, Office of Accident Records. The 

table below is the result of a combined effort of state, local, and public agencies.

SOUTH DAKOTA YEARLY COMPARISON

OF MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC FATALITIES, INJURIES,

CRASHES, MILES TRAVELED, & REGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLES

Year Deaths

Death 

Rate1 Injuries

Total 

Crashes

Total 

Crash 

Rate4

Fatal 

Crashes

Injury 

Crashes

PDO2

Crashes

Miles3

Traveled 

(million)

Registered

Motor 

Vehicles5

(thousand)

2009 131 1.50 5,704 16,994 194.44 112 4,101 12,781 8,740 952

2010 140 1.58 5,801 17,626 198.92 124 4,155 13,347 8,861 992

2011 111 1.23 5,374 17,362 193.06 101 3,973 13,288 8,993 976

2012

2013

133

135

1.47

1.48

5,432

5,462

16.261

16,620

179.15

182.36

118

121

3,887

3,921

12,256

12,578

9,077

9,114

992

1,006

FOOTNOTES

1. Number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

2. July 1, 1978 the PDO threshold was increased to $400 accumulated property damage.

July 1, 1986 the PDO threshold definition changed to $500 damage to any one person’s property or $1000 

accumulated property damage per crash.

July 1, 2000 the PDO threshold definition changed to $1000 damage to any one person’s property or $2000 

accumulated property damage per crash.

3. Miles traveled from years 1980 through 1991 have been revised to agree with the Highway Performance 

Monitoring System’s (HPMS) miles traveled. The revised travel was provided by Transportation Inventory 

Management of the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

4. Number of crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

5. Based on statutory changes primarily impacting SDCL 32-5-2.7 in 2008, a vehicle plate can be effective on 

more than one vehicle per year due to vehicle placement. Thus, the registration count may be lower than 

past year’s data based on previous plate registration staying with the vehicle.

Source: SD Department of Public Safety – Office of Accident Records

SD Department of Transportation – Inventory Management

SD Department of Revenue -- Titles and Registration

Description of Overall HSIP Effectiveness

South Dakota has made strides in reducing fatal and injury crashes since the adoption of 

SAFETEA-LU. Since 2009, fatal crashes have slightly increased from 131 to 135 in 2013 and 

injury crashes have decreased from 4,101 in 2009 to 3,921 in 2013. The increase in fatal 

crashes may be due to an increase in registered vehicles and miles traveled since 2009. South 

Dakota’s crash rate has also decreased since 2009, positively reflecting on efforts to reduce 

roadway crashes overall. The reduction in injury crashes is the result of the collaborative effort

between many State, local, and public agencies. SDDOT has continued the reactive RSI 
6

process, increased the miles of durable pavement marking on the State system, installed traffic 

control signs with higher retroreflectivity in recent years, and have worked with local 

governments to upgrade their traffic control signing since 1993. Due to the nature of these 

types of improvements, it has been difficult to fully measure the positive results of the

implemented improvements; however, the Department believes the effort put forth to these 

improvements has contributed to the overall decrease of crashes in South Dakota. 

SDDOT has also begun to explore the benefits of proactive processes to transportation safety 

improvements since the adoption of MAP-21. Statewide rumble strip/stripe guidance has been

developed and was the foundation for programming the regionwide rumble strip/stripe projects.

The new rumble strip/stripe guidance provides for rumble strip/stripe installation based on 

roadway width and shoulder width. This allows rumble strips/stripes to be installed on more 

resurfacing projects and on roadways that have a long service life remaining according to the 

SDDOT Pavement Management system. Since this will be the fourth year of installing systemic

rumble strips/stripes, it will be a couple years until we can fully evaluate the effectiveness of 

this systemic treatment.

SDDOT will continue to maintain a reactive safety improvement process while starting a more

proactive approach for identifying safety improvements. SDDOT is establishing processes to 

identify locations for systemic curve delineation improvements, safety edge improvements, 

shoulder width improvements, intersection improvements and roadway barrier improvements.

HIGH RISK RURAL ROADS PROGRAM (HRRRP)

SDDOT is a predominantly rural state with approximately 73,000 miles of rural Major Collector, 

Minor Collector, or Local Roads. Because of the rural environment, the locations with fatal and 

incapacitating crashes are sporadic. SDDOT has developed an analysis to identify rural road 

segments that have experienced two or more crashes in a three year period. In order to 

develop a crash rate, the annual average daily traffic (AADT) was used for segments which had 

reportable data. For the remaining segments the county wide VMT data was tied to the 

functional classification of roadway per county. Projects have been identified and SDDOT is 

currently working with roadway segment owners to discuss safety projects that are applicable 

for implementation through the RSA inspection process. 

OLDER DRIVERS

The State of South Dakota's 5-year average fatality and serious injuries per capita for drivers 

and pedestrians who are 65 years of age and older for the periods ending 2010 and 2012

decreased from 0.86 to 0.83. Rounded to the nearest tenths, the rates for 2010 and 2012 are 

0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Therefore the Special Rule would not apply to the State of South 

Dakota.