0 

U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

Noteworthy Practices Guide 

Jointly sponsored by the Federal Highway 

Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation 

Recognizing proven lifesaving achievements by 

public agencies across the United States 

WINNERS

2021 NATIONAL ROADWAY SAFETY AWARDS 
2021 Noteworthy Practices Guide 

LETTER FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION 

I

t is my pleasure to join the Roadway 

Safety Foundation (RSF) in announcing 

the winners of the 2021 National 

Roadway Safety Awards competition. Every 

two years, State and local agencies from 

across the country are asked to showcase 

the important work they are doing to 

improve roadway safety and save lives. 

Projects that exemplify innovative and 

effective safety activities are honored with 

this prestigious award. 

I would like to encourage you to read 

through this Noteworthy Practices Guide,

which summarizes each winning project. 

From safety plans, to safety tools, to 

This guide 

highlights 

roadway safety 

achievements that 

are helping move 

the United States 

towards zero 

deaths and serious 

injuries on the 

nation’s roadways.

Complete Streets, to technology that helps identify conflict points, this Guide

highlights roadway safety achievements that are helping to move the United States 

towards zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. It is our desire that 

a review of the noteworthy practices showcased here will generate new ideas 

for others. 

Everyone deserves to feel safe and be safe on our roads, no matter how they travel on 

the roadway system. The responsibility to create this safe system belongs to all of us. 

I would like to thank all our 2021 award applicants for sharing their work that moves 

us towards zero fatalities and serious injuries for all road users. Congratulations to our 

distinguished group of winners! 

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration 

Thomas D. Everett 

Executive Director 

Federal Highway Administration 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

safety.fhwa.dot.gov 
~~( Roadway 

Safety 

FOUNDATION 

2021 National Roadway Safety Awards 

LETTER FROM THE ROADWAY SAFETY FOUNDATION 

When we last gathered to celebrate the National Roadway Safety Awards, we took so much 

for granted about the occasion. Winners traveled to Washington, DC from five states for

a luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. We gathered for a meet-and-greet the night before, and 

didn’t think twice about shaking hands. How blissfully naïve we were in the autumn of 2019. 

The Roadway Safety Foundation and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have been recognizing 

outstanding safety projects and programs for over 20 years, but I have never been more grateful for 

this collaboration than I am this year. The pandemic upended every aspect of life, and the road safety community was no exception. Lockdowns meant plunging travel and the evaporation of fuel and 

tax revenues that our State and local agencies rely on to sustain their critical functions. Meanwhile, 

transportation infrastructure was reconfigured to accommodate outdoor activities and social distancI have never

been more

grateful for this

collaboration than

I am this year.

ing, and deaths and injuries on our highways skyrocketed 

for reasons that may take us years to fully understand. To be 

frank, we didn’t quite know what to expect when we issued 

our Call for Nominations for the Awards back in January. 

I am delighted to report that our batch of applicants this 

year is one of the most impressive yet. We saw a nearly 

60 percent increase in overall nominations, and much 

stronger representation from smaller, non-state level 

applicants like our Metropolitan Planning Organizations 

(MPOs), townships, and counties. This is a testament to the fact that despite all the challenges, our 

public agencies have soldiered on and found new ways to triumph. In this edition of the Noteworthy 

Practices Guide, for example, you’ll read about infrastructure improvements in a small town of less 

than 15,000 people, and planning successes in the most populous state in the union. You’ll learn 

about how a city is using cutting-edge video analytics technology to achieve its Vision Zero objectives, and how a state is prolonging the life of one of the simplest and most familiar safety features 

– pavement markings. And that’s not the half of it.

We couldn’t do all of this without the tremendous team at FHWA. Additionally, we had one of the 

largest blue-ribbon panels of judges in program history this year, all of whom volunteered their time 

and coped with compressed timelines and our first-ever virtual panel discussion.

My thanks and congratulations to all! 

Roadway Safety Foundation

1920 L Street NW, Suite 525 

Washington, DC 20036-5012 

Gregory Cohen, P.E. 

Executive Director 

Roadway Safety Foundation www.roadwaysafety.org 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL

IMPROVEMENTS WINNERS (I&O)

PROGRAM PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT,

AND EVALUATION WINNERS (PPDE)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

2021 Noteworthy Practices Guide 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL 

IMPROVEMENTS WINNERS (I&O)

• Florida Department of Transportation .............................................5 

• North Carolina Department of Transportation ..................................6 

• Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin ...................................................7 

PROGRAM PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, 

AND EVALUATION WINNERS (PPDE) 

• City of Bellevue, Washington.............................................................8 

• Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, Florida..................... 9 

• California Department of Transportation .......................................10 

• Texas Department of Transportation and

Texas A&M Transportation Institute ................................................11 

HONORABLE MENTIONS 

• Florida Department of Transportation.............................................12 

• Montana Department of Transportation..........................................13 

• Town of Portland, Connecticut.........................................................14 

Examples of winning entries from past competitions can be found at 

www.roadwaysafety.org/programs/national-roadway-safety-awards 
-~----

 WINNER (I&0): FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WINNER (I&O): Arterial Work Zone Safety 

The Safety Problem: Limited application of smart work zone technologies and research on state 

roads and arterials, despite a greater number of work zone-related fatalities occurring on 

these roads than on other road types such as freeways 

The Solution: A multi-organization partnership to implement and study various smart work 

zone applications, including Active Work Zone Awareness Devices and iCone products 

The Result: Effective reduction of travel speeds and risky driving behaviors for vehicles 

approaching arterial work zones using Active Work Zone Awareness Devices (AWAD) with law 

enforcement support 

AWAD installed on portable trailers ready for deployment 

to work zones. Photo courtesy FDOT.

notifies them of their travel

speed, and contains regulatory messaging. Also studied 

were two iCone boxes – one 

connected to an AWAD, 

the other to an arrow board 

– which create digitally-connected work zone and traffic

control infrastructure and

deliver relevant messaging

to users of the Waze navigation app.

Two types of data were 

collected and analyzed in this 

study: approaching vehicle 

speeds and driver behaviors. 

Evaluation results demonWork zone and 

worker safety are 

of vital concern 

to transportation agencies, 

the construction industry, 

and the motoring public. In 

Florida, speeding in work 

zone areas accounts for 31 

percent of fatal work zone 

crashes. Despite this, limited 

smart work zone (SWZ) 

applications and studies to 

date have focused on arterials and other non-freeway 

locations. To close this 

research and implementation 

gap, the Florida Department 

of Transportation 

(FDOT) District 7 led and 

managed an innovative 

arterial work zone safety 

project in partnership with 

FDOT’s safety team, the 

In Florida, speeding in work zone strated that for vehicle

speed reduction, the areas accounts for 31 percent of deployment of the AWAD 

fatal work zone crashes. alone reduced approachCenter for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) 

at the University of South Florida, and the Florida 

Work Zone Safety Coalition. 

This innovative project sought successful 

engineering solutions to effectively address the 

major problems of speeding and unsafe behaviors 

in arterial work zones. FDOT and CUTR worked 

closely to plan, coordinate, implement, and 

5 

evaluate proposed smart work zone applications 

under many test scenarios at six study sites. The 

technologies studied included the Active Work 

Zone Awareness Device (AWAD) and two iCone 

products. The AWAD is a relatively low-cost 

countermeasure that consists of a radar device 

with LED signs mounted on a trailer that warns 

approaching drivers of an active work zone, 

ing vehicle speeds entering 

arterial work zones by 10.6 percent; for driver 

behavior improvement, the deployment of the 

AWAD alone increased safe driving behavior by 39 

percent and reduced risky driving by 34 percent. 

Even greater successes were seen when combining 

AWAD with enhanced law enforcement efforts. 

These positive findings represent the first time that 

the AWAD and iCone smart work zone devices 

have been studied in arterial work zones and point 

to promising opportunities for improving work zone 

and worker safety. 

Agency: 

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

Project Contact: Michael Zinn, D7, 

Local Road Safety Program Manager 

Email: Michael.Zinn@dot.state.fl.us
---------1•--------- 6 

Lane departure crashes 

are one of the most 

over-represented fatal 

and serious injury crash types 

on North Carolina’s roadways.

They comprise 55 percent 

of fatal and serious injury 

crashes in the state, with 

almost 14,000 such crashes 

occurring from 2015 to 2019. 

With over 80,000 miles of 

roadway under its jurisdiction, the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation 

(NCDOT) is responsible for 

one of the nation’s largest 

highway systems, and is 

proactively looking for low-cost and high-return 

safety solutions to prevent lane departure crashes 

and drive down fatal and serious injury trends. 

To this end, NCDOT undertook an effort to 

investigate, install, and evaluate a promising 

low-cost solution on rural, two-lane roadways: 

long-life pavement markings. Designed to 

provide improved roadway delineation and 

motorist guidance, these markings are available 

in a variety of widths, media, and materials, so 

NCDOT sought to determine the safety return, 

longevity/durability, and cost-effectiveness 

implications of each type. 

All types of long-life markings demonstrated 

crash reductions: Across all sites treated with the 

countermeasure (over 400 miles of roadway), 

NCDOT found a statistically significant 13 percent 

reduction in lane departure crashes. The best 

safety results, however, were seen with wider, 

6-inch markings with standard beads, which 

were found to reduce 

lane departure crashes 

by statistically significant 

19 percent. Additionally, 

the long-life markings are 

expected to provide a 

minimum of five to seven 

years or more of adequate 

retroreflectivity and 

pavement delineation, 

compared with a maximum of two years or so 

from standard markings. 

Though the benefit cost 

ratio (BCR) varies depending on the specific type of 

marking used, potential 

BCRs up to 60:1 were estimated. 

According to State Traffic Engineer J. Kevin Lacy, 

“Although long-life markings cost more initially ... 

[i]n the long term, the overall cost for marking a

roadway is less when utilizing a long-life marking.

Reducing the need to replace markings as

frequently decreases the repeated exposure to

pavement marking crews operating in the road.

This provides another safety benefit in addition to

driver safety.”

The significant safety results inspired a statewide 

safety initiative, currently underway, which is 

investing millions of dollars to systemically apply 

long-life markings to thousands of miles of rural 

two-lane roadways in North Carolina. 

Agency: North Carolina Department of 

Transportation (NCDOT)

Project Contact: Brian Mayhew, 

State Traffic Safety Engineer

Email: bmayhew@ncdot.gov 

An application of long-life double centerline markings on 

North Carolina State Route 1131. Photo courtesy NCDOT.

WINNER (I&O): Long-Life Pavement Markings Safety Initiative 

The Safety Problem: Nearly 14,000 fatal and serious-injury lane departure crashes occurred 

on North Carolina’s roads from 2015 through 2019 

The Solution: The North Carolina Department of Transportation implemented and evaluated a 

variety of types of long-life pavement markings on rural, two-lane roads to study their longevity, 

safety return, and overall cost-effectiveness 

The Result: A statistically-significant 13 percent reduction in lane departure crashes across all

sites treated with long-life markings, with higher benefits observed from wider markings; additionally, the long-life markings provide five to seven years of enhanced delineation

 WINNER (I&0): NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
----------1•~-------

 WINNER (I&0): VILLAGE OF WHITEFISH BAY, WI

WINNER (I&O): Community-Wide Safety Improvements 

The Safety Problem: A decade-long trend of increasing crashes, including right-angle collisions, run-off-the-road incidents, and crashes involving vulnerable road users, including a 

pedestrian killed when a vehicle was rear-ended and pushed into a crosswalk 

The Solution: Implementation of low-cost improvements and long-term safety design solutions funded primarily with federal aid from the Highway Safety Improvement Program 

The Result: Community-wide crash reduction of 39 percent, and a cumulative 5-year impact 

of 257 fewer law enforcement responses, 480 vehicles spared from damage, and prevention 

of eight pedestrians or bicyclists from being struck by vehicles 

The Village of Whitefish 

Bay is an active community near Milwaukee, WI 

with a population of approximately 14,000. Since 2010, the 

Village had been experiencing 

a trend of increasing crashes, 

including numerous right-angle 

collisions, run-off-the-road 

incidents, and many crashes 

involving non-motorists. In 

2015, a woman was killed 

when a vehicle was rear-ended 

and pushed into a crosswalk. 

Prior to the fatal crash, the 

Village had been evaluating 

safety improvement strategies. In 2015, many were 

set into motion. First, the Village implemented 

low-cost treatments to make an immediate impact 

on safety and change the driving culture to be 

more aware of the presence of – and need to yield 

to – pedestrians and bicyclists. Improvements 

included installing dynamic speed feedback signs, 

supplementing “yield here to pedestrian” signs 

with $250 fine plaques, and placing the “yield 

here” signs in advance of crosswalks. 

Longer-term design solutions were intended 

to solidify the safety improvements, and many 

were financed through federal aid assistance 

via the Highway Safety Improvement Program 

and designed by the Wisconsin Department 

of Transportation. Innovative improvements 

included a “Danish Offset” pedestrian crossing 

(first deployed in Denmark, the path of the 

crossing is offset to enable pedestrians to more 

directly observe oncoming vehicles), high-friction 

“Danish Offset” crossing at a curve on Lake Drive at 

Palisades Road. Photo courtesy Village of Whitefish Bay.

surface treatment on urban 

curves, leading pedestrian 

intervals at signals, and 

rectangular rapid flashing 

beacons placed before 

crosswalks located near 

curves. Additionally, both 

systemic and targeted safety 

solutions were implemented 

throughout the community, 

including improved street 

lighting, updated signal 

equipment and timing, and 

high-visibility crosswalks. 

Since 2015, crashes community wide have been reduced 

39 percent, and all signs 

point to the downward trend 

continuing. The cumulative five-year impact is an 

estimated 257 fewer law enforcement responses, 

480 vehicles not damaged, and eight pedestrians 

or bicyclists spared from being struck by vehicles. 

Agency: Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

Project Contact: John Edlebeck, P.E, 

Public Works Director

Email: j.edlebeck@wfbvillage.org 

Partners: 

Wisconsin Department of Transportation 

Contact: Christine Hanna, P.E., 

Project Manager 

Email: Christine.hanna@dot.wi.gov 

Traffic Analysis & Design (TADI) — Consultant

Contact: John R. Campbell, IV, P.E., RSP2, 

Director of Traffic Engineering Safety Services

Email: jcampbell@tadi-us.com

7 
Vehicle-vehicle traffic conflict at NE 8th Street and 156th Avenue 

NE. Photo courtesy City of Bellevue, WA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 WINNER (PPDE): CITY OF BELLEVUE, WA

WINNER (PPDE): Video Analytics Towards Vision Zero Program 

The Safety Problem: Despite being a Vision Zero community, the City of Bellevue, WA experienced 4 fatalities and 12 serious injuries on its streets in 2020 

The Solution: Establishment of a proactive approach to adopting data-driven safety solutions 

by leveraging an extensive traffic camera network to study near-crash conflicts and identify 

potential countermeasures 

The Result: Reduction in time required to identify hot spots and study possible treatments —

from a matter of years to a matter of days — and a proliferation of high-return safety projects

Prevailing practice in 

road safety management is generally

reliant on crash reporting 

undertaken by responding 

law enforcement officers.

While useful, this type of

data has inherent limitations, 

not least of which being that

it is reactive. Transportation 

agencies, for example, often

only identify dangerous 

hot spots after years of

crash reports indicate some 

offer rapid insight on 

whether a countermeasure achieves a 

favorable outcome.

For example, Bellevue

made traffic signal operations changes at 124th

Avenue Northeast and 

Northeast Eighth Street, 

compared before-after 

video analytics data,

and confirmed that

there was a 60 percent 

reduction in critical 

kind of anomaly about the 

location.

conflicts. Completed in

The Vision Zero movement, with its goal to

eliminate fatal and

serious-injury collisions,

encourages communities 

just two days, this study

The City of Bellevue, WA, a showed a very favorable

return on investment for Vision Zero community, was an a $10,000 project. 

early adopter of these proactive Given the success of safety techniques. Bellevue’s video analytics 

to build a future in which validated, 

data-driven preventive steps can be taken long 

before crashes, deaths, and serious injuries 

occur. One promising approach, traffic conflict

analysis, leverages cloud computing, artificial

intelligence and video analytics, and offers 

predictive insight into when, where, and why 

crashes are most likely to occur. 

The City of Bellevue, WA, a Vision Zero community, was an early adopter of these proactive 

safety techniques, forging multiple technology 

development partnerships to convert raw video

footage from its existing traffic camera network

into flow, speed, and conflict event data. In

addition to identifying conflict hot spots – often

in one week of data collection versus many years

of crash report documentation – video analytics 

efforts to date, in 2021 the 

City began applying these proactive safety 

techniques to its high-injury network corridors,

integrating conflict analytics into the road safety

assessments (RSA) it conducts to identify and

prioritize projects. 

“While the technology is complex and cutting

edge, the result is simple to understand,” said 

Andrew Singelakis, Bellevue’s Transportation 

Director. “We want to help people avoid the 

pain that results from a preventable crash.” 

Agency: City of Bellevue, Washington

Project Contact: Franz Loewenherz, 

Principal Transportation Planner 

Email: floewenherz@bellevuewa.gov

8
------~•,---------

 WINNER (PPDE): BROWARD METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

WINNER (PPDE): Complete Streets Master Plan and Wilton Drive Improvements 

The Safety Problem: 1,675 pedestrians were killed in the South Florida Region from 

2010 through 2019 

The Solution: Development of the Broward Complete Streets Master Plan (CSMP), and a major 

redesign of a key local corridor known as “The Drive”

The Result: 75 percent reduction in severe crashes, 66 percent reduction in pedestrian and bicycle 

crashes, and 50 percent improvement in travel times along “The Drive”, with another 20 projects

identified that will be undertaken as funding allows

The South Florida 

Region – including 

Broward County – 

has the highest number of 

total pedestrian fatalities 

in the entire nation (1,675 

from 2010 through 

2019). An example of 

this problem can be seen 

along the Wilton Drive 

corridor in Wilton Manors, 

FL, known locally as “The 

Drive.” Home to multiple 

attractions and employment opportunities, the 

corridor has also been the 

scene of a disproportionate 

number of injury and fatal 

lane in each direction to 

provide bicycle and pedestrian enhancements. These 

included 7-foot buffered 

bike lanes, mid-block 

crossings, raised medians, 

wider sidewalks, pedestrian 

lighting, and landscaped 

bulb-outs. 

Initially, the project concept 

was poorly received by 

many in the community, 

who were concerned that 

the lane elimination would

cause long delays. State and 

Aerial view of Wilton Drive showing on-street parking, buff-ered bike 

lanes, median separation, and pedestrian facilities. Photo courtesy 

Broward MPO

local data, however, show 

tremendous improvements

crashes. From 2017 through 2018, the corridor 

experienced a total of 44 crashes, which caused 

eight severe injuries and one fatality. 

To reverse these trends, the Broward Metropolitan 

Planning Organization (MPO) developed the 

Broward Complete Streets Master Plan (CSMP). The 

Plan is highlighted by a Demand and Equity analysis 

conducted to select priority areas for improvement 

that demonstrate a relative need for transportation 

investments based on concentrations of historically 

vulnerable populations, combined with a greater 

number of everyday destinations. 

Along The Drive, the MPO worked together with 

the cities of Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale and 

the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to 

develop the Wilton Drive Complete Streets project. 

Prior to the redesign, The Drive included four 12-foot 

vehicular travel lanes with turn lanes in the painted 

median, which encouraged higher speeds and 

negatively affected safety. The Complete Streets 

effort included the elimination of one vehicular travel 

in both safety and mobility, including a 66 percent 

decrease in bicycle and pedestrian crashes, a 75 

percent reduction in severe-injury and fatal crashes, 

and a roughly 50 percent improvement in travel 

times along the corridor. Additionally, business 

owners report an uptick in economic activity. 

With the demonstrated success along Wilton Drive, 

the Broward MPO has moved forward with the 

implementation of other projects identified in the

CSMP and regularly conducts walking audits to 

engage community members early in the process. 

Eight projects totaling $4 million identified in the

CSMP have been added to the FY 2025 budget for 

feasibility, while another 12 ($76 million) have been 

added to the Multi Modal Priorities List. 

Agency: 

Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization

Project Contact: Ricardo Gutierrez, 

Mobility Program Manager 

Email: gutierrezr@browardmpo.org 

9 
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---------4•....,.___ ___ _ 

 WINNER (PPDE): CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WINNER (PPDE): 2020 – 2024 Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

The Safety Problem: A trend of rising fatalities and serious injuries on California’s roadways, 

averaging 10 deaths every day 

The Solution: An updated statewide Strategic Highway Safety Plan with 5 new key components marking what Caltrans refers to as “The Pivot”, adopting 4 Guiding Principles, 

designating high-priority challenge areas, expanding and diversifying committee membership, implementing the program with innovative tools, and evaluating progress continuously 

The Result: Renewed focus on California’s commitment to achieve zero traffic fatalities, and

capacity for data-informed decisions to be made at all levels of government 

From 2010 

through 2018, 

California 

experienced an unacceptable trend of 

increases in fatalities 

and serious injuries 

on its roadways. 

Every year, about Photo courtesy of FDOT 3,600 individuals 

die on California’s 

roadways, an average of 10 deaths per 

Tracking tool web page that is utilized by Caltrans to monitor progress in the 

implementation of actions. Photo courtesy Caltrans.

day. To reverse this 

trend, state transportation leaders recognized 

that a bolder and more focused approach was 

necessary, and capitalized on the opportunity to 

update the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 

(SHSP) and its implementation to align it with this 

aggressive recommitment to safety. 

This important change, referred to as “The Pivot,” 

includes four new Guiding Principles (Integrate 

Equity, Implement a Safe System Approach, Double 

Down on What Works, and Accelerate Advanced 

Technology), focuses on High Priority Challenge 

Areas, expands the SHSP committee membership 

to reflect the diversity of the state and promote

inclusivity, and incorporates innovative tools 

into the planning and implementation process. 

Crucially, crash statistics will be evaluated against 

SHSP implementation on an annual basis to ensure 

progress using a newly-developed Action Tracking 

Tool. Through this process, Caltrans incorporates 

proven countermeasures and leading-edge safety 

planning to evolve with the changing environment, 

and maximize statewide efforts to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries. 

Caltrans utilizes 

existing resources 

to inform and 

develop new 

tools to provide 

critical information 

to partners and 

stakeholders 

that inform their 

decisions when 

creating plans, 

programs, policies, 

and solutions for a 

statewide impact. 

California’s traffic

safety professionals 

now have direct access to crash data to support the 

data-driven implementation of the SHSP and other 

safety programs. Ultimately, the SHSP is creating an 

environment where data drives informed policies at 

all levels of government, and the five key components will put California on the path to zero fatalities 

and serious injuries by 2050. The SHSP is currently 

focused on institutionalizing the Guiding Principles 

of Integrate Equity and Implement a Safe System 

Approach into all aspects of the SHSP. There is an 

ongoing concerted effort to integrate equity into 

all aspects of the plan to address institutional and 

systemic biases. The Safe System Approach places 

additional responsibility on agencies to account for 

human error within the design and operations of 

roadways. 

Agency: California Department of 

Transportation (Caltrans) 

Project Contact: Rachel Carpenter, P.E., 

Chief Safety Officer

Email: rachel.carpenter@dot.ca.gov 

10 
Screenshot of “Vortex of Safety” visualization tool. Photo 

courtesy TxDOT/TAMU TTI.

Unadjusted Marclnal Safety In Oesicn 1 relative to Standard 

-20% -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 

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Orivew7J'(0ensity 

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Obstructbn Type 

---------1•-----------

WINNER (PPDE): TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

AND TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

WINNER (PPDE): TxDOTSafety Scoring Tool 

The Safety Problem: A disproportionate number of fatalities and serious injuries on rural 

roadways, and barriers to existing safety analysis tools related to complexity and 

resource requirements 

The Solution: Development of an all-new safety scoring tool to evaluate the effects of 

geometric, traffic control, and roadside design elements on safety

The Result: A user-friendly method now required for all rural two and multi-lane non-access 

controlled projects that strengthens the traffic safety culture and allows for proactive vs.

reactive safety management 

The Texas 

Transportation

Commission has 

adopted a goal of zero 

fatalities on Texas roadways 

by 2050. Recognizing that 

new methods would be 

needed to reach this goal, 

the Texas Department of 

Transportation (TxDOT) 

retained the Texas A&M 

Transportation Institute to 

develop scoring tools that can 

be used to evaluate the effects 

of geometric, traffic control and roadside design

elements on safety. The initial effort focused on 

two-lane and multi-lane rural roadway projects 

because a disproportionate number of fatalities 

and serious injuries occur on these roads. 

The scoring tool incorporates quantified effects

of changes in design parameters such as lane 

and shoulder width, horizontal and vertical curve 

geometry, rumble strips, and clearances to objects, 

thereby allowing project developers to examine 

the effects and tradeoffs involved in design 

decisions. Developed in a user-friendly, familiar 

spreadsheet format, the tool is not designed 

or intended to make decisions for the project 

developer, but rather to provide an objective, 

data-driven aid that allows the designer to assess 

and evaluate how changes in design parameters 

can affect safety. Feedback is provided through 

a visualization tornado-chart graph, dubbed the 

“Vortex of Safety”, which provides a proportional 

representation of the effect of design changes, 

and focuses the analyst on the primary means to 

improve safety in a project. 

Use of the tool is required 

for all rural two and multilane non-access controlled 

projects, ranging from 

routine maintenance to 

complete reconstructions. 

The universal requirement 

emphasizes the importance 

of maximizing safety in the 

project development process 

for all types of projects, 

not just those primarily 

developed to improve safety. 

By incorporating proven 

Highway Safety Manual techniques, information 

from the crash modification clearinghouse, and

findings from Texas-based research into an easyto-use spreadsheet that requires very little training, 

the tool overcomes the barrier to widespread 

safety analysis stemming from the time and complexity of most safety analysis methods. 

By requiring the use of this tool while projects 

are still in the development and design stage, 

the tradeoffs and costs of safety improvements 

can be evaluated before construction begins, 

resulting in cost-effective use of construction and 

maintenance funds. Importantly, integrating the 

tool into the process at this point also enables a 

proactive, rather than passive or reactive, approach 

to safety that strengthens the traffic safety culture

throughout the state. 

Agency: Texas Department of Transportation & 

Texas A&M Transportation Institute 

Project Contact: Robert Wunderlich, Director, 

Center for Transportation Safety, Texas A&M 

Transportation Institute 

Email: rwunderlich@tamu.edu

11 
_______ _J•r---------

Local transportation agencies are vital in the 

effort to improve roadway safety in Florida, 

because they design, operate, and maintain their own roadways and assist the Florida 

Department of Transportation (FDOT) toward 

achieving our collective target of zero serious 

injuries and fatalities. FDOT uses its Florida Local 

Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) to improve 

the skills and increase the knowledge of local and 

transportation workforces on roadway safety via 

training and technical assistance. 

FDOT encountered numerous challenges, 

including limited options for no-cost safety-related trainings for employees of Florida local 

transportation agencies, and low attendance at 

the trainings that were available. The arrival of the 

COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 only exacerbated FDOT’s concerns, as in-person learning was 

severely disrupted. 

To address the overall problems on safety-related 

training, Florida LTAP Center housed at Center 

for Urban Transportation Research developed 

and implemented its cost-efficient approaches

to achieve no-cost safety-related trainings to all 

attendees, and used innovative approaches to 

increase attendance of these trainings. Florida 

LTAP also successfully transitioned from in-person 

training to online webinars to effectively address 

the significant impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Within three years, over 50 new courses were 

added to LTAP offerings and training attendance 

increased substantially. The current Florida LTAP 

virtual safety-related trainings attract an impressive 

average of 434 transportation professional attendees per training session. 

Local Agency: 

Florida Department of Transportation 

Project Contact: Brenda Young, 

State Safety Engineer 

Email: brenda.young@dot.state.fl.us 

Florida Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) 

The Safety Problem: Limited availability of no-cost technical trainings for local agency staff, 

low attendance at the trainings that were available, and interruptions to in-person opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic

The Solution: Identification of new training needs and a transition from in-person training to 

online webinars 

The Result: Within three years, over 50 new courses were added to (LTAP) offerings and training 

attendance increased substantially. The current Florida LTAP virtual safety-related trainings 

attract an impressive average of 434 transportation professional attendees per training session 

HONORABLE MENTION: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) workshop held in an in-person setting. Photo courtesy FDOT. 

12 
---------1•,____ ___ _ 

HONORABLE MENTION: MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

HONORABLE MENTION: North of Kiowa North 

The Safety Problem: An antiquated corridor built in 1927 with high tourist traffic, and hazardous curves and alignment 

The Solution: Reconstruction of a 5.8-mile project, improving 21 curves to current standards, 

adding 6-foot shoulders and edge line rumble strips 

The Result: A predicted crash reduction of 85.9 percent using the Highway Safety Manual’s crash 

predictive method for rural, two-lane, two-way roads 

USHighway to one feet, while the 

new roadway provides 

consistent 6-foot 

shoulders with edge line 

rumble strips. Each of 

these safety improvements reduces crashes; 

combined, they have a 

more comprehensive 

safety result. Using the 

Highway Safety Manual 

crash predictive method 

for rural, two-lane, 

two-way roads, the new 

alignment is predicted to 

see a crash reduction of 

85.9 percent. 

89 west of 

Browning, 

MT traverses the Blackfeet 

Indian Reservation and 

provides a key entrance 

to Glacier National Park, 

which typically sees 3 

million visitors each year. 

The route, originally built 

in 1927, was narrow with 

sharp curves, few turnouts 

and heavy tourist traffic. To

improve roadway safety and 

traffic flow while minimizing

impacts to numerous 

Blackfeet cultural sites, 

adjacent wetlands, and 

area wildlife, the Montana 

Department of Transportation 

(MDT) performed major road 

improvements along a 5.8-

mile stretch. These included 

reconstruction of 21 substandard 

horizontal curves, shoulder widening, and provision of edge line 

rumble strips. 

Old (top) vs. new (bottom) alignment.

Photo courtesy Montana DOT.

Located entirely on the 

Blackfeet Nation Reservation,

The new alignment is this vital project improves 

roadway safety and traffic

predicted to see 

a crash reduction of 

flow while protecting and

enhancing the cultural resources 

and economic opportunities for

85.9 percent. the local population. The design

team worked closely with the

Blackfeet Cultural Department to identify and 

locate the culturally significant sites including

burial grounds, cloth offering sites, teepee rings, 

and cairns. Additional benefits include protection

of the natural environment, facilitated passage of 

wildlife, and decreased future maintenance costs 

from winter snow removal operations. 

The project implemented many innovative 

engineering concepts including snow storage 

design, geotechnical slope stabilization and 

armoring, and strategically located vehicle pullouts 

to accommodate motorists wishing to pullover to 

observe the natural landscapes, vistas, and cultural 

sites. Motorcycle enthusiasts specifically requested Local Agency: the perpetuation of a curvilinear alignment to 

maintain riding pleasure, which was achieved while Montana Department of Transportation 

Project Contact: Jim Wingerter, still providing curves that are much safer, meet Great Falls District Administrator full design standards, and accommodate the RVs Email: jwingerter@mt.gov and other large vehicles that also use the corridor. 

Moreover, existing shoulder widths were zero 

13 
--------,•~----- 14 

Located 

in central 

Connecticut 

and responsible 

for 63 miles of 

roadway, the 

Town of Portland 

is a small community of under 

10,000 residents 

that faced serious 

safety concerns 

regarding 

vehicle speeds 

and limited 

opportunities for safe 

walking and cycling. To address these concerns, a 

grassroots Complete Streets Group (CSG) wrote 

the Complete Streets Policy and gained the 

support of elected leaders, who formally adopted 

the policy in 2016. The CSG then started working 

with Public Works and the Town Engineer to plan, 

design, and construct safety improvements. 

Priority Goals were identified, including 1) Work

with partners to reduce speeds; 2) Establish 

healthy lifestyle choices by providing safe walking 

and cycling options; 3) Promote a Complete 

Streets Culture through education and events 

such as bike rides and trail walks; 4) Identify gaps 

in sidewalks, roads and trails, with the goal of 

enabling multimodal safe travel to schools, residences, businesses and recreation opportunities; 

and 5) Implement safety improvements based on 

the Complete Streets Policy. 

In 2016, a State grant was awarded to design 

and engineer the 2.38-mile Air Line Trail, a major 

component of the 111-mile Central CT Loop 

Trail. The Air Line Trail was completed in 2018, 

and hiking is up 

by 3,000 users per 

week. Additionally, a 

municipal bond was 

issued in 2018 to 

fund repairs to two 

miles of sidewalks 

and a 0.5-mile road 

re-build. These 

safety improvements 

were engineered, 

designed, and 

completed in 2020, 

the same year a 

State Connectivity 

Grant was awarded 

to repair sidewalks along State-owned roadways. 

This work has also been completed. 

Cycling has increased in town as well, with the 

creation and signage of Safe Bike Routes and 

hosting of bike events by CSG. After a speed 

study, Portland installed digital speed signs on 

roads with excessive speeding, and these have 

contributed to overall speed reductions in town. 

The success of these signs in slowing vehicles – 

particularly near schools – has led the University 

of Connecticut to award the town two additional 

signs that will be installed in other areas of town 

with speeding problems. Other forthcoming work 

will include sidewalk improvements, provision of a 

new bus shelter, and other connectivity efforts in 

an underserved low-income area of town. 

Local Agency: Town of Portland, CT 

Project Contact: Robert Shea, 

Director of Public Works

Email: rshea@portlandct.org 

HONORABLE MENTION: Making Complete Streets in Portland 

The Safety Problem: Excessive vehicle speeds in town, broken or missing sidewalks, and few 

outdoor trails 

The Solution: Formation of a grassroots Complete Streets Group which worked with local 

officials to write, adopt, and implement a Complete Streets Policy 

The Result: Vehicle speed reduction in town, repair/reconnection of 2 miles of local sidewalks, 

reconstruction of a 0.5-mile segment of roadway, and an increase in area hiking by 3,000 users 

per week along a new trail 

HONORABLE MENTION: TOWN OF PORTLAND, CT

Sidewalks installed on Main Street. Photo courtesy Portland, CT
0 

U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

~~( ~Roadway 

Safety 

FOUNDATION ------~•L_ _____ _ 

2021 Noteworthy Practices Guide 

THE 2021 BLUE RIBBON PANEL 

Winners of the National Roadway Safety Awards program are selected by a volunteer panel of dedicated transportation safety professionals. Panelists independently evaluate each entry on the basis of 

innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources, and convene for a panel discussion to agree 

on final selections of Winners and Honorable Mentions. Our sincere thanks to the nine individuals who 

served on this year’s blue-ribbon panel: 

T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH

Former Vice Chair and Member 

National Transportation Safety Board 

King W. Gee 

Director of Safety and Mobility 

American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials

Bruce Hamilton, MPH

Managing Director 

Roadway Safety Foundation 

Bernardo Kleiner

Associate Division Director, 

Transportation Safety 

Transportation Research Board 

Jeffrey F. Paniati, P.E. 

Executive Director and CEO 

Institute of Transportation Engineers 

Donna Shea 

Executive Program Director 

Connecticut Training & Technical 

Assistance Center 

Kevan Stone 

CEO/Executive Director 

National Association of County Engineers 

Stacy Tetschner, CAE, FASAE 

President & CEO 

American Traffic Safety Services Association

Terecia W. Wilson, RSP 

Professor of Practice and Assistant Director 

Institute for Global Road Safety & Security 

Clemson University 

ABOUT THE SPONSORS 

The Federal Highway Administration 

The FHWA is committed to helping our nation 

achieve zero roadway deaths and serious 

injuries by creating a “Safe System” for all road 

users. A Safe System encompasses working 

closely with multidisciplinary organizations and 

groups to achieve safe roads, safe speeds, safe 

road users, safe vehicles, and effective postcrash care. FHWA’s Office of Safety provides 

leadership with our partners and various stakeholders to achieve a national safe system. 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington DC 20590 

(202) 366-2288

safety.fhwa.dot.gov 

The Roadway Safety Foundation 

The Roadway Safety Foundation is a 501(c)(3) 

nonprofit charitable and educational organization

solely dedicated to reducing the frequency and 

severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the 

safety of America’s roadways. To this end, the RSF 

focuses on improving the physical characteristics 

of roadways, such as design and engineering, 

operating conditions, removal of roadside hazards, and effective use of safety features. 

Roadway Safety Foundation 

1920 L Street NW, Suite 525 

Washington DC 20036 

(202) 857-1228

www.roadwaysafety.org

15 

Front and back cover photos source: iStock.com 
0 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington DC 20590 

(202) 366-2288

safety.fhwa.dot.gov 

1920 L Street NW, Suite 525 

Washington DC 20036 

(202) 857-1228

www.roadwaysafety.org