Alternative contracting methods such as public agency force accounts can increase the pace and decrease the 

cost of delivering safety improvement projects. This approach to project delivery is an efficient and effective 

tool for both improving safety as well as reducing the time and cost to install proven, low-cost safety solutions.

Force Accounts Lead to Faster, More Cost-Effective Completion 

of Life-Saving HSIP Projects 

HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM – 

NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES

Innovative approaches to delivering Federal-aid 

road safety projects.

What is a Force Account?

The term “force account” means the 

direct performance of highway and 

highway-related construction work 

by any public agency, a railroad, or a 

public utility company by use of labor, 

equipment, materials, and supplies 

furnished by them and used under their 

direct control. (23 CFR 635.203(c)).

Federal-aid highway construction 

projects must be awarded to the lowest 

responsive, responsible bidder, unless 

the State DOT demonstrates, to FHWA’s 

satisfaction, that another method is 

more cost effective or an emergency 

exists. (23 U.S.C. 112) 

For more information, see the FHWA 

Policy on Agency Force Account Use 

(5060.1) - Resources | Federal Highway 

Administration (dot.gov).

To save funds and reduce the time needed to move projects 

from identification to installation, the Alabama DOT (ALDOT) 

and the FHWA Alabama Division Office conceptualized a 

statewide program that would quickly construct low-cost 

projects funded by Highway Safety Improvement Project 

(HSIP) funds, such as signing or striping upgrades, intersection 

modifications, or access control. Under this program, counties 

typically work with the ALDOT district offices to identify safety 

projects that qualify for HSIP funding. The county applies for 

funding, and division office maintenance forces implement 

the project. 

As part of the application process, the local applicant uses 

the State bid history to develop what would be considered a 

contractor’s estimate. The county then compares the amount 

a contractor would charge to the cost for the ALDOT district 

forces to do the work. Typically, because using public agency 

forces is much more economical, there is often a significant 

variance in the prices that a contractor might expect to bid 

versus the cost to use public forces. This comparison provides 

the basis of estimate for the cost savings from using public 

agency force account procedures—a necessary step in meeting 

statutory and regulatory requirements under 23 U.S.C. 112 and 

23 CFR 635.204. 

Source: Getty Images
According to Alabama Traffic & Safety Operations 

Engineer John-Michael Walker, the HSIP program 

manager for ALDOT, “We estimate we’ve approved 

about $2.3 million in Federal-aid work, including labor, 

since [Fiscal Year 2020].” He explains that the amount 

that has actually been charged is a little over $1 million, 

so the savings is significant, and what’s more, those 

savings are then used to implement even more lifesaving countermeasures on Alabama roadways. 

“Based on the project applications we’ve received, 

we expect to see an average savings of about 

49 percent [compared to what the State would spend 

by contracting the work out],” Walker noted. “The idea 

is to use force accounting for lower-cost projects, so 

we try to cap them at $100,000 or less,” Walker added. 

In Mississippi, the process works in a slightly different 

fashion, with Mississippi Department of Transportation 

(MDOT) safety engineers meeting quarterly to discuss 

locations of concern and to review crash data to 

identify sites that need to be analyzed more closely 

for potential treatment. Once sites are identified, the 

team determines the most effective solution and 

implementation strategy, including whether a force 

account could be appropriate. 

“The goal is to get the application [for force account 

approval] in [with the Division Administrator] and get 

approval within 2 weeks. Once we had approval, some 

force account projects were able to be done within 

a week because the maintenance forces already had 

materials on hand,” said MDOT State Safety Engineer 

Mark Thomas.

Recently, MDOT identified an intersection with safety 

concerns where a permanent solution had been 

planned, but where the need to treat the existing 

safety issue was becoming urgent due to unacceptably 

high crash rates. Because crashes were continuing 

to occur, “[w]e couldn’t wait 2 years to construct an 

RCUT [restricted crossing U-turn],” Thomas explained. 

MDOT used force account procedures to reconfigure 

the intersection using snap-back delineators, creating 

a directional median supplemented with signage 

directing drivers to use the existing crossover. “We put 

in the interim improvements within roughly 6 weeks so 

we could make those intersections safer,” he noted.

Lessons 

For States interested in using 

force accounts to install low-cost 

countermeasures, Walker and 

Thomas agreed that ensuring buy-in 

from maintenance staff is one of 

the most important factors, noting 

that State DOT staff are essential 

to making the process a success. 

Coordinating with FHWA is also an 

important element for success in 

using force accounts.

For more information on this 

practice, please contact your State’s 

FHWA Division Office.

HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM – NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES | FORCE ACCOUNTS

https://highways.dot.gov/safety

April 2023  FHWA-SA-23-013

“We expect to see an average savings of 

about 49 percent.” 

— John-Michael Walker 

ALDOT HSIP Program Manager

Source: Getty Images

Figure 1. Image. Temporary snap back delineators and supplemental signage 

were installed on US 533 in Jefferson County, MS to mitigate an urgent 

intersection crash problem until a permanent RCUT could be installed. Signage 

was also installed (lower right) to assist drivers in navigating the configuration.

Source: © Google 2022.