Countermeasure 

Service Life Guide

Background

Countermeasure service life is a key input variable to conduct a crash-based 

cost benefit analysis of potential countermeasures for implementation. Crashbased cost benefit analyses provide users with a quantitative measure for 

determining which safety area(s) or countermeasure(s) would be most cost 

effective for reducing the number and severity of crashes in a particular area.

The crash modification factor (CMF) Clearinghouse includes a synthesis of 

countermeasure service lives for various countermeasures. While the synthesis 

presents a range of service life values for each countermeasure, there is no 

single national resource that presents typical values of service life for each 

countermeasure.

The Transportation Pooled Fund Study TPF-5(255), Highway Safety Manual 

Implementation sponsored the development of a Countermeasure Service Life 

Guide to fill this need. The target audience of the guide is transportation 

practitioners, such as traffic and safety engineers, designers, planners, and 

maintenance staff. The Guide provides comprehensive information on 

selecting and using countermeasure service lives, regardless of a practitioner’s 

experience level. Transportation practitioners will learn about service lives and 

their relationships to maintenance activities, and how service life can be 

included as part of a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA). 

The Guide is organized into six chapters, with the focus of the Guide presented 

in chapters 2-5. Chapter 2 provides an overview of service lives and introduces 

the benefits of standardized service lives for a BCA. Chapter 3 explains 

selecting a countermeasure service life for a BCA. Chapter 4 describes the 

process for identifying and suggesting service lives for countermeasures. 

Chapter 5 presents BCA examples for single countermeasures where the 

service life is either known or unknown. 

Typical Service Lives 

Service life is the number of years that a countermeasure should have a 

noticeable effect on crashes at a site (AASHTO, 2010)1. Several factors can 

influence countermeasure service life, including the following: 

• Environment.

• Maintenance and rehabilitation activities.

• Replacement cycles.

• Operational and design context.

• Manufacturer specifications and warranties.

1 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Highway Safety Manual, 1st Edition, 2010. 

GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS

Establishes typical service life 

values for common safety 

strategies and 

countermeasures.

Defines service life, 

relationships between service 

life and maintenance 

activities, reasons to consider 

adopting a standardized 

service life list, factors that 

influence countermeasure 

service life, and analytical 

considerations when using 

service life as part of a 

benefit-cost analysis (BCA). 

Provides examples using 

service life as part of a BCA, 

including when

countermeasure service life 

may be unknown. 

Source: FWHA

Source: FWHA
FHWA-SA-21-056

Countermeasure Categories

The Guide organizes the countermeasures into functional categories so 

transportation practitioners can identify service lives quickly. The Guide’s 

categories are consistent with those found in the CMF Clearinghouse. The 

list below includes the 19 categories and summarizes the range of typical

service lives for associated countermeasures. 

• Access Management (20 years).

• Advanced Technology and Intelligent

Transportation Systems (ITS) (10 years).

• Alignment (20 years).

• Bicycle (1-25 years).

• Delineation (1-5 years).

• Highway Lighting (15 years).

• Interchange Design (20 years).

• Intersection Geometry (1-20 years).

• Intersection Traffic Control (1-15 years).

• Pedestrian (1-30 years).

• Resurfacing (5-10 years).

• Railroad Grade Crossings (1-25 years).

• Roadside (10-25

years)

•Roadway (1-20

years).

• Shoulder Treatment

(5-20 years).

• Signs (5-20 years).

• Structures (10-30

years).

• Work Zone (1 year).

• Other (10-30 years).

Applying Service Life Through BCA

A countermeasure’s service life is an integral part of the BCA process

and the assessment methodology for countermeasures with differing 

service lives impacts the outcome of the BCA. As such, it is important for 

transportation practitioners to select a consistent approach for 

comparing and ranking potential projects.

Chapter 5 of the Guide provides three examples that focus on the 

selection and application of the service life through BCA for safety 

projects. The first example focuses on the entire process of a BCA 

including selecting and implementing the countermeasure’s service life 

when a transportation practitioner is evaluating two project alternatives. 

The second example demonstrates the service life selection and BCA for 

a new, single countermeasure where the service life is unknown. Finally, 

the third example provides an overview of using the service life and BCA 

for a countermeasure deployment using a systemic approach within a 

project. 

Availability 

Access the Countermeasure Service Life Guide now at: 

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/docs/FHWA-SA-21-

021_Countermeasure_Serv_Life_Guide.pdf. 

DEVELOPING A SERVICE LIFE LIST

Agencies should consider 

developing a service life list. Similar 

to a CMF list, a service life list offers 

the following benefits. 

Standardized values. Creating 

standardized values can improve 

consistent application of BCA on 

proposed projects within an agency. 

Centralized source of information. 

The standardized list may draw from 

an agency’s internal experience 

with common countermeasures or 

from other agencies (e.g., when 

considering new countermeasures). 

The standardized list compiles known 

information about each 

countermeasure, providing a 

centralized source for practitioners. 

Improved communication with 

decisionmakers. Along with CMFs, 

the standardized service life list can 

help practitioners communicate to 

decisionmakers the reasons for 

selecting a preferred 

countermeasure, especially if the 

countermeasure has not been 

commonly applied within the 

agency or within a specific region. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Scurry 

FHWA, Office of Safety

Karen.Scurry@dot.gov

(202) 897-7168

Source: FWHA