2017 National Roadway Safety Awards

NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Jointly sponsored by the 

Federal Highway Administration 

and the Roadway Safety Foundation

WINNERS

Recognizing proven lifesaving 

achievements by public 

agencies from across 

the country
2017 National Roadway Safety Awards

Recognizing life-saving 

engineering solutions 

that agencies have 

integrated into their 

roadway safety programs.

• Effectiveness

• Innovation

• Efficient Use 

of Resources

Front cover and inside cover photos credit: Thinkstock
LETTER FROM THE DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR

I

t is my pleasure to present the nine winners 

of the 2017 National Roadway Safety Awards, 

a biennial competition sponsored by the 

Federal Highway Administration and the 

Roadway Safety Foundation to spotlight the 

nation’s very best efforts by public agencies to 

save lives on our nation’s roadways.

As you read through the case studies that 

follow, I have no doubt you’ll be as impressed 

as I am by the ingenuity and effectiveness of 

these projects – from Virginia’s “instant roundabout” to Missouri’s innovative design-build 

competition that will address dozens of trouble 

spots across the state. Moreover, you’ll see that 

these agencies have been tremendous stewards of taxpayer funds and found ways to 

achieve impressive safety successes despite limited resources.

The awards program has twin goals – recognizing outstanding public agencies and 

their staff, and promoting the projects themselves in the service of best practice sharing 

and encouraging their use elsewhere. This Noteworthy Practices Guide is an important 

component of that second goal, as here you’ll find practical and proven ideas, helpful 

graphics and visuals, and contact information for key project leaders. All of us at the 

Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation hope to see these 

innovative ideas spread as we move the United States along the Road To Zero deaths.

Please join me in congratulating all of the winners of the 2017 National 

Roadway Safety Awards!

Brandye L. Hendrickson

Deputy Administrator 

Federal Highway Administration

I have no doubt 

you’ll be as 

impressed as 

I am by the 

ingenuity and 

effectiveness of 

these projects.

2017 Noteworthy Practices Guide

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

safety.fhwa.dot.gov
LETTER FROM THE ROADWAY SAFETY FOUNDATION

The National Roadway Safety Awards 

is one of my favorite endeavors in our 

Foundation’s portfolio. It is the time 

when we get to hear directly from professionals in the field who are making a tangible 

difference, and honor these unsung heroes’ 

dedication, innovation, and demonstrated 

lifesaving successes. At a time of increasing 

traffic fatalities and aging infrastructure, now 

more than ever we need to identify where 

progress is being made, and amplify those 

lessons learned for the benefit of others. 

We can reach our goal of zero deaths on the 

nation’s roadways, but it’s an effort that must 

proceed city by city, county by county, and 

state by state. This Guide presents some of 

the very best examples of what that means.

I’d be remiss not to thank our partners at the Federal Highway Administration, who 

provide the national leadership on roadway safety and who have supported this Awards 

program since its inception. Their spirit of collaboration and dedication to efficient diffusion of safety innovations has saved countless lives and set a national example for how we 

will ultimately eradicate traffic deaths. 

On behalf of the staff of the Roadway Safety Foundation, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of the winners of the 2017 National Roadway Safety Awards, and my thanks 

to all of our excellent applicants. Whether you’re reading this Guide to find ideas that 

you might be able to replicate in your agency, or whether you’re simply reading it to 

learn a bit more about how your state or local highway officials are working to keep you 

safe, I hope you’ll take from it a renewed appreciation for the vital role that safe roads 

play in saving lives.

Thank you again, and congratulations!

Gregory Cohen, P.E.

Executive Director 

Roadway Safety Foundation

At a time of 

increasing traffic 

fatalities and aging 

infrastructure, now 

more than ever we 

need to identify 

where progress is 

being made.

2017 National Roadway Safety Awards

Roadway Safety Foundation

1920 L Street NW, Suite 525

Washington, DC 20036-5012

www.roadwaysafety.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS CATEGORY (I&O)

• Delaware: High-Friction Surface Treatment Systemic Safety Improvements......... 6

• Florida: Florida’s Wrong-Way Driving Mitigation Initiative.................................... 7

• Michigan: Improved Incident Scene Safety with Partnerships............................... 8

• Minnesota: Implementation of Data-Driven Safety Solutions................................ 9

• Virginia: VDOT’s Instant Roundabout .................................................................. 10

PROGRAM PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION CATEGORY (PPDE)

• Alaska: Safety Corridor Program......................................................................... 11

• Missouri: Road to Saving Lives Design-Build Project ........................................... 12

• New Jersey: Roundabout Implementation Program............................................ 13

• Tennessee: Safety Projects Evaluation Report..................................................... 14

THE 2017 BLUE RIBBON PANEL....................................................................... 15

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS .................................................................................. 15

2017 Noteworthy Practices Guide

Examples of winning entries from past competitions can be found at 

www.roadwaysafety.org/programs/national-roadway-safety-awards 
6

Based on statewide crash data, 38% of 

fatalities and 21% of serious injuries 

in the state of Delaware involved a 

roadway departure crash. Half of these 

crashes occurred within a horizontal curve. 

Additionally, wet/snowy/icy pavement 

accounted for 22% of roadway departure 

fatalities and serious injuries. 

High-friction surface treatments (HFST) 

are pavement applications 

that can dramatically and 

immediately reduce crashes 

at locations such as 

horizontal curves or 

where wet road surfaces reduce pavement 

friction. To address 

roadway departure 

fatalities and serious 

injuries, DelDOT implemented HFST as a safety 

improvement through 

the State’s Systemic Safety 

Improvement Program (SSIP).

As part of the SSIP, candidate 

locations for HFST were identified 

by reviewing the rate of roadway 

departure crashes that occurred 

on wet/snowy/icy pavement for all roadway 

segments in the state. Each candidate 

location was then screened to determine 

the feasibility and appropriateness of 

installing HFST. Factors considered included 

pavement condition, date of last resurfacing 

project, date of next resurfacing project, and 

presence of horizontal curvature. Once final 

locations were selected, DelDOT utilized a 

three-year, open-end contract established for 

HFST implementation using Highway Safety 

Improvement Program (HSIP), High-Risk Rural 

Roads Program (HRRRP), and Section 154 

Penalty Transfer Funds. 

As of April 2017, more than 33,396 

square yards of HFST have been 

installed at over 20 locations. 

Before/after crash data shows 

that roadway departure 

crashes decreased by an 

average of 56% across 

all of the HFST locations 

collectively. Benefit/

cost analysis indicates an 

overall benefit-cost ratio 

of 23.97. 

Unlike other safety solutions 

that may involve geometric 

changes that require substantial 

funding, HFSTs are an innovative, 

low-cost, durable, and effective 

solution for reducing fatalities and 

serious injuries.

Agency: Delaware Department of 

Transportation (DelDOT)

Project Contact: Adam Weiser, 

Safety Programs Manager

Email: Adam.Weiser@state.de.us

Phone: (302) 222-5905

WINNER (I&O): High-Friction Surface Treatment Systemic Safety Improvements

The Safety Concern: Roadway departures account for nearly 40% of Delaware’s fatal crashes, and 

half of them occur on curves

The Solution: High-friction surface treatments (HFST) dramatically improve traction and reduce 

fatal crashes

The Result: A 56% reduction in roadway departure crashes across the treated sites, and an overall 

benefit-cost ratio of 23.97

 WINNER (I&0) DELAWARE — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Side-by-side comparison of 

newly-installed HFST (right) next 

to traditional surfacing (left).

Photo courtesy Frank Julian, FHWA
7

Recently, there was a spike in wrong-way 

driving (WWD) crashes in Florida, and 

particularly in the Tampa Bay area during 

2014. In one crash, four University of South 

Florida students were traveling on Interstate 

275 when they were struck by a wrongway driver. All five people involved 

died in this tragic crash. All totaled, 

in 2014 the Tampa Bay area experienced seven wrong-way crashes that 

resulted in 11 fatalities.

The rise in wrong-way crashes was 

not limited to the Tampa Bay area, but was 

observed statewide. The Florida Department 

of Transportation (FDOT) responded with the 

launch of the Wrong-Way Driving Mitigation 

Initiative. This initiative involved a holistic 

approach based on innovations in three areas:

• POLICY – FDOT developed a high-level framework that focused Department policy and 

decision-making on reducing WWD crashes.

• INFRASTRUCTURE – The agency revised design 

standards to more aggressively discourage 

wrong-way entry onto limited-access facilities. 

In conjunction with these changes, FDOT 

installed and evaluated emerging and 

experimental traffic control devices that are 

specifically designed to mitigate WWD. 

• MONITORING – The FDOT Transportation System 

Management & Operations (TSM&O) team 

continuously monitors the WWD infrastructure 

and tracks its progress. 

Infrastructure improvements included (a) new 

minimum signing and pavement marking 

standards for statewide implementation, (b) 

FHWA-approved Request for Experiment (RFE) 

with Red Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon 

and Internally Illuminated Raised Pavement 

Marker installations in the state, (c) a statewide 

WWD study and three research projects with 

a focus on deployment and learning, and (d) 

developing best practices to implement WWD 

countermeasures. This systemic approach has 

resulted in a dramatic reduction in WWD incidents. In the Tampa Bay region, for example, in 

2015 there were no WWD crashes, and in 2016 

there was one WWD crash which resulted in 

two fatalities. The effectiveness of the innovative infrastructure improvements is continuously 

monitored by FDOT’s State and District Traffic 

Engineering and Operations Offices to explore 

every possible avenue to mitigate wrong-way 

driving in the state.

Agency: Florida Department of 

Transportation (FDOT)

Project Contact: Raj Ponnaluri, P.E., PTOE, 

PhD, State Arterial Management 

Systems Engineer

Email: raj.ponnaluri@dot.state.fl.us

Phone: (850) 410-5616

WINNER (I&O): Florida’s Wrong-Way Driving (WWD) Mitigation Initiative

The Safety Concern: Wrong-way driving (WWD) incidents statewide, and a spike in WWD 

particularly in the Tampa Bay area, which experienced 11 WWD fatalities in one year

The Solution: A comprehensive approach to mitigating wrong-way driving through infrastructure 

and operational improvements, as well as policy changes and ongoing research, implementation 

and monitoring efforts

The Result: Sustained and proactive engineering countermeasures, education efforts, and 

enforcement actions helped mitigate WWD crashes statewide 

 WINNER (I&0) FLORIDA — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

(Left) A rectangular-rapid flashing beacon at night 

alerts wrong-way drivers of their mistake. (Right) 

Enhanced pavement markings and signage provide 

clearer indication to motorists about which lanes lead 

to Interstate 10 eastbound. 

Photos courtesy FDOT
8

Highway safety is a major concern not only 

for motorists, but also for the men and 

women that respond to unplanned traffic 

incidents. In less than one year in the Grand 

Rapids, MI area, for example, there were three 

separate incidents involving a vehicle striking a 

fire department truck that had responded to a 

crash scene.

A strong Traffic Incident Management Team 

(TIM) has been formed in the city of Grand 

Rapids to increase highway safety for everyone 

during emergency traffic incident responses 

on freeways. Partners on this team include 

representatives from the Michigan Department 

of Transportation (MDOT), Grand Rapids Police 

& Fire Departments, Michigan State Police, Kent 

County Road Commission, and the City of Grand 

Rapids. Over the past six years, this coalition 

has been able to successfully implement various 

innovative and unique initiatives to minimize first 

responders’ exposure to traffic, and to reduce 

backups, delays, and secondary crashes associated with unplanned incidents on freeways. 

The specific strategies that this team has 

established include the creation and deployment of the nation’s first crash blocking vehicle 

used by a fire department, which is a modified 

city dump truck affixed with a crash attenuator. 

Additionally, the team developed and installed 

sight distance parking signs for first responders, 

and implemented high visibility markings on 

water standpipes along the freeway to facilitate 

their immediate location by responders. Instant 

Dispatch Towing has also been implemented, 

wherein tow trucks are immediately called to 

the scene of a wreck at the same time that 

other emergency vehicles are summoned. 

This combination of initiatives has resulted in a 

31% decrease in the time it takes tow trucks to 

arrive on scene, and a reduction in the average 

number of vehicles striking an on-scene fire 

apparatus from one per year to zero in the last 

two years. These efforts have made a positive 

impact on not only the safety and mobility of 

motorists traveling along the freeways within 

Grand Rapids, but have also been extremely 

beneficial for the men and women that risk 

their lives on the highways when responding to 

crashes.

Agency: Michigan Department of 

Transportation (MDOT) and Partners

Project Contacts: Suzette Peplinski, Traffic 

Safety & Operations Engineer, 

MDOT West Michigan TOC

Email: Peplinskis@michigan.gov

Phone: (616) 451-8448

WINNER (I&O): Michigan’s Improved Incident Scene Safety with Partnerships

The Safety Concern: A spike in vehicles striking fire department vehicles responding to crash 

scenes in the Grand Rapids area, and challenging freeway layouts that make providing advance 

notice to motorists difficult

The Solution: A multi-agency Traffic Incident Management (TIM) partnership that yielded new strategies for shielding and clearing crash scenes, including a crash attenuator truck and expedited towing

The Result: 31% reduction in tow truck response time, reduction in vehicles striking fire 

apparatus, and a 45% decrease in secondary crashes

 WINNER (I&0) MICHIGAN — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Utility 2, a crash attenuator-modified dump truck. 

Photos courtesy MDOT
9

County roads account for half of the total 

number of fatal crashes in Minnesota, 

but only handle 24% of the total vehicle 

miles traveled in the state. Therefore, in an 

effort to improve roadway safety and save lives, 

Minnesota embarked on an ambitious undertaking in 2010 to develop County Road Safety 

Plans (CRSPs) for all 87 counties. Counties then 

implement improvement measures based on 

plan recommendations.

As a partnership between the Minnesota 

Department of Transportation and the 

Minnesota counties, the primary mission of 

the CRSPs was to improve the process for 

identifying safety issues by decreasing 

the burden on counties to complete 

a roadway risk analysis, select 

low-cost proven strategies, and 

submit complete and accurate 

projects to the HSIP solicitation 

with the goal of increasing the number of 

implemented projects. 

The CRSPs were built on the systemic 

approach to rural highway safety. This 

approach utilized risk as the basis for safety 

investment decisions rather than actual crash 

history. The focus of the CRSPs was the 

implementation of proactive, low-cost safety 

strategies on a system-wide basis rather than 

reactive, higher-cost safety projects at fewer 

locations. This proactive approach allows 

for funding allocation and countermeasure 

implementation based on roadway conditions 

or risk factors that make fatal and serious 

injuries likely to occur. 

Implementation of low cost, 

proactive safety improvements 

on the county road network (330 

projects funded through the Highway 

Safety Improvement Program for 

a total of $80 million) resulted in 

a 25% reduction in the county road 

fatality rate during the four-year period 

following the CRSP process. More importantly, 

evidence suggests that the CRSPs are making 

a difference in saving lives and helping in the 

Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths drive.

Agency: Minnesota Department of 

Transportation (MnDOT) and Minnesota 

County Engineers Association

Project Contact: Mark Vizecky

State Aid Programs Engineer

Email: mark.vizecky@state.mn.us

Phone: (651) 366-3839

WINNER (I&O): Minnesota’s Implementation of Data Driven Safety Solutions

The Safety Concern: County roads in Minnesota account for half of all fatal crashes, but less than 

a quarter of vehicle-miles traveled in the state

The Solution: Development and implementation of County Road Safety Plans (CRSP) for all 

87 Minnesota counties, emphasizing low-cost, systemic improvements over high-cost 

reactive treatments

The Result: 330 low-cost, proactive safety improvements on the county road network, and a 25% 

reduction in the county road fatality rate during the four-year period following the CRSP process

 WINNER (I&0) MINNESOTA — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Mainline Dynamic Warning System - ENTERING TRAFFIC WHEN 

FLASHING Sign Assembly at the intersection of US 2 and County 

State Aid Highway 46 near Duluth MN, St. Louis County. 

Close Up of a Sinusoidal Rumble Strip on County State Aid 

Highway 61 in Crookston MN, Polk County. 

Photos courtesy MNDOT
10

Modern roundabouts are one of the safest forms of intersection traffic control. 

Studies have demonstrated that they 

can reduce injury crashes by nearly 90 percent 

when they replace a two-way stop. The Virginia 

Department of Transportation (VDOT) is therefore installing roundabouts where appropriate 

across the commonwealth. However, there is a 

drawback: replacing a traditional intersection 

with a roundabout is a substantial construction 

project that is both costly and time-consuming.

Meanwhile, an intersection in Northern 

Virginia had a critical crash problem. As traffic 

increased at the intersection of Poland Road 

and Edgewater Street, crashes rose to as many 

as nine per year, with nearly half involving 

injury. VDOT’s engineers evaluated several 

forms of traffic control—all-way stop, traffic 

signal, and mini-roundabout among them—but 

the best traffic control for the intersection was 

determined to be a full-size roundabout.

Funding for a roundabout was justifiable based 

on the crash history, but VDOT could not 

ignore the immediate safety problem while 

waiting for permanent construction. Engineers 

developed an “instant roundabout” using 

off-the-shelf markings, tubular markers, and 

plastic curb sections instead of concrete. With 

community support, VDOT installed the instant 

roundabout in less than six days at a cost of 

$90,000—95 percent less costly than a permanent roundabout at the same intersection.

The crash problem abated just as quickly as the 

roundabout was installed. Crashes dropped 

by 30 percent, but even more remarkable 

has been the reduction in injury crashes. The 

roundabout operated for nearly 31⁄2 years 

without a single injury crash, and it has now 

reduced injury crashes by 89 percent, about 

what would be expected of a permanent 

roundabout. A three-minute-long queue 

on the Edgewater approach has also disappeared. This highlights another key benefit of 

roundabouts: along with safety improvements, 

efficiency gains are realized as traffic flows 

freely in the absence of timed signals.

The positive safety results are leading VDOT 

to consider the treatment elsewhere as an 

immediate fix for preventing crashes while a 

permanent solution is identified and implemented. The Department is also working to 

identify traffic products that can make instant 

roundabouts even better, with lower maintenance needs. 

Agency: Virginia Department of 

Transportation (VDOT)

Project Contact: Ivan Horodyskyj, 

District Traffic Engineer 

Email: ivan.horodyskyj@VDOT.Virginia.gov

Phone: (703) 259-2330

WINNER (I&O): VDOT’s Instant Roundabout

The Safety Concern: An alarming increase in crashes due to rising traffic volumes 

The Solution: An “instant roundabout” installed in less than a week using off-the-shelf products

The Result: An 89% reduction in injury crashes with a solution 95% less costly than a 

traditional roundabout

 WINNER (I&0) VIRGINIA — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

The “instant roundabout” at the intersection of Poland Road 

and Edgewater Street in Loudoun County, Virginia reduced 

crashes by 89%. 

Photo courtesy VDOT
11

I

n 2006, Alaska signed into law a bill establishing “Safety Zones” on stretches of state roads 

documented to have the highest fatal and 

major injury crash rates and traffic volumes at or 

near capacity. The primary goal was to eliminate 

two-lane, high-speed, head-on collisions, centering on the Federal Highway mandated safety 

goal to focus on severe injury and fatal crashes. 

The bill directed that 50% of fines be appropriated to Alaska Department of Transportation 

and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) highway safety 

programs, additional enforcement, and 

education opportunities. The final 

decision designating a safety 

corridor is determined by the 

Commissioner for ADOT&PF 

and the Commissioner for 

Public Safety.

The resulting data-driven 

program uses a multidisciplinary approach 

where cost-effective 

engineering solutions, 

education, enforcement, and 

emergency service reviews 

(“4E’s Approach”) combine to 

combat high-risk driving behavior 

and mitigate capacity problems until 

long-term improvements are built. 

Economical and visible engineering solutions 

(passing and turning lanes, rumble strips, high 

level warning signing, and delineation) have 

been combined with educational tools like 

radar speed signs and repeated media campaigns, as well as increased law enforcement

actions. Emergency responder consultations 

result in targeted winter maintenance 

efforts, addressing incident communications 

equipment needs, and planning for rescue 

equipment, as well as improved lines of communications between the 4 E’s. Data collection 

appears to reflect fewer high-risk drivers 

due to increased enforcement and threat of 

increased fines. This synchronization appears 

fundamental to each corridor’s success. 

Subsequent data – collected and analyzed yearly 

– shows that the 4E Approach can have 

immediate and lasting positive safety 

effects within a corridor: fatal and 

major injury crashes are down 

in Alaska’s four established 

Safety Corridors by 45% 

overall since May 2006. 

Additionally, in 2018, the 

state plans to be able to 

remove the Safety Corridor 

designation for the first 

time: a major overhaul to 

convert a road into a divided 

highway is expected to bring 

the road’s fatality and serious 

injury rate below the state average, 

and therefore allow it to “graduate” 

from the Safety Corridor program.

Agency: Alaska Department of 

Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF)

Project Contact: Scott Thomas, Regional Traffic 

& Safety Engineer, Central Region

Email: scott.thomas@alaska.gov

Phone: (907) 269-0639

WINNER (PPDE): Alaska Safety Corridor Program

The Safety Concern: High rates of fatal and serious injury crashes – especially head-on collisions – 

on high-speed two-lane roads with seasonal traffic levels over 20,000 vehicles per day

The Solution: A multidisciplinary approach to safety involving collaboration between each of the 

“4 Es”: Engineering, Enforcement, Education, and Emergency Response

The Result: In the decade since Alaska’s Safety Zones were established by law, fatal and serious injury 

crashes have a sustained reduction in the established Safety Corridors by 45%

 WINNER (PPDE) ALASKA — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Safety Zone Speed 

Signage in Alaska. 

Photo courtesy ADOT
12

During the last ten years, 8,752 motorists 

left on a trip in Missouri, but never made 

it to their destination. Unfortunately 

they joined more than 36,000 other motorists 

annually in this country who ended their trip, 

unexpectedly, as a tragic statistic.

MoDOT’s St. Louis District developed a bold 

strategy to implement Missouri’s Blueprint: 

A Partnership towards Zero Deaths, the state’s 

strategic highway safety plan. Utilizing threeyear crash data, they identified 31 locations 

with the highest safety concerns in two counties. Then, they chose five teams comprised 

of nationally known traffic/safety consultants 

and contractors to deliver safety proposals 

to MoDOT. 

The teams competed in a unique design-build 

procurement which emphasized implementing the most cost-effective safety treatments 

utilizing Highway Safety Manual (HSM) 

analysis. A fixed price, $24.11 million, variable scope contract encouraged teams to 

provide the maximum safety benefit with the 

dollars available. 

Proposals were scored based on four categories and one of those categories was HSM 

safety analysis. HSM analysis was required for 

each proposed safety improvement, including 

calculations of the projected reduction 

of fatal and serious injury crashes.

The best value team targeted 

safety improvements at all 31 

locations. Their proposal 

included system-wide 

application of high-friction surface treatment 

(HFST), inlaid pavement markers, transverse 

rumble strips, LED stop signs, intersection 

conflict warning system (ICWS) and a roundabout. Over the period of 10 years, the 

project is expected to prevent 73 fatal and 

serious injury crashes. In addition, the winning 

project is projected to be completed nine 

months ahead of MoDOT’s requirement in 

the initial procurement.

More information is available at the 

project website: www.modot.org/stlouis/

major_projects/SLSafetyDBProject/

Agency: Missouri Department of 

Transportation (MoDOT)

Project Contact: Bill Schnell, 

Assistant District Engineer

Email: bill.schnell@modot.mo.gov

Phone: (314) 453-1802

WINNER (PPDE): Road to Saving Lives Design-Build Project

The Safety Concern: In the last decade, 8,752 motorists have died on Missouri’s roads, leaving the 

state searching for an effective way to implement its Toward Zero Deaths strategy

The Solution: Five Design-Build teams competed in a unique procurement process to offer 

MoDOT the most cost-effective safety treatments based on Highway Safety Manual analysis

The Result: A winning bid to address improvements at all 31 identified locations, projected to prevent 

73 deaths and serious injuries over 10 years and be completed nine months ahead of schedule

 WINNER (PPDE) MISSOURI — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Map showing projected reductions in fatalities and serious 

injuries over a 10-year period in Franklin and Jefferson Counties. 

Photo courtesy MoDOT

Road to Saving Lives
13

The intersection of CR 528 and CR 660 in 

Chesterfield Township, Burlington County 

had experienced severe crashes and was 

identified for improvements in the Delaware 

Valley Region. A data-driven approach helped 

engineers identify the use of a modern 

roundabout as the preferred design alternative. 

However, buy-in was also needed from a 

skeptical public. 

Engineers and local officials were able to 

use innovative data-driven safety analysis 

tools to communicate the benefits of modern 

roundabouts to the citizens of Burlington 

County. The roundabout was built in 2014, 

and the before-and-after crash analysis 

indicated a 100% reduction of right-angle and 

left-turn crashes.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation 

(NJDOT) now is not only promoting roundabouts for state roads, but has initiated a 

pilot roundabout program for intersections 

under local jurisdiction. Nine counties have 

been approved to build modern roundabouts 

and several others are in the process of 

submitting applications. An example of a 

forthcoming project is shown in the photos 

to the right.

Due to citizens’ support of the Chesterfield 

Township roundabout, Burlington County 

has built three more modern roundabouts 

utilizing a variety of funding sources. NJDOT is 

confident that use of innovative infrastructure 

treatments utilizing data-driven tools will result 

in significant reductions in intersection fatalities 

in New Jersey. 

Agency: New Jersey Department of 

Transportation (NJDOT)

Project Contact: Sophia Azam, 

Executive Manager

Email: sophia.azam@dot.nj.gov

Phone: (609) 530-3474

Photo courtesy NJDOT

WINNER (PPDE): New Jersey Roundabout Implementation Program

The Safety Concern: The intersection of two county roads in Burlington County, NJ had 

experienced severe crashes and was identified for improvements

The Solution: The installation of a roundabout at the location

The Result: A 100% reduction in right-angle and left-turn crashes at the location, and additional 

roundabout implementation elsewhere in the state

 WINNER (PPDE) NEW JERSEY — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

(Top) Existing Route 206 Whitehorse Circle, Hamilton Township, 

Mercer County. 

(Bottom) 206 Whitehorse Roundabout to be completed Fall 2017. 

Photo courtesy NJDOT
14

Evaluation is a critical, but all-too-oftenoverlooked, component of robust safety 

management. To determine the effectiveness of a variety of safety improvements made, 

the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s 

(TDOT) Project Safety Office — part of the 

Strategic Transportation Investments Division 

— committed to analyzing the effectiveness 

of safety projects in its Highway Safety 

Improvement Program from 2010 to 2015. 

Phase One of the analysis examined 261 sites 

with crash data three years before and after 

implementation of the safety improvements 

recommended in the site’s road safety audit 

report. Phase Two of the analysis involved a 

more detailed review of 45 sites using the 

Highway Safety Manual (HSM) to estimate crash 

frequency with and without implementation of 

safety countermeasures. 

Phase One suggests that the TDOT safety 

program has been overall successful in reducing crash frequency by 60%. Comparing before 

and after crash numbers, there were 157 sites 

out of 261 that indicated a reduction in crashes 

after implementation of the recommended 

countermeasures. Seventy-eight sites had an 

increase in crashes after implementation and 26 

sites had no change. The number of fatalities 

and incapacitating crashes did not change for 

93 sites, increased for 60 sites, and decreased 

for 108 sites. 

In Phase Two, TDOT conducted an Empirical 

Bayes (EB) before/after evaluation of 45 

sites. This method included using a safety 

performance function (SPF) to predict crash 

frequency, adjusting for site specific geometric 

and traffic volume conditions, and weighting 

the observed crash frequency with the 

SPF-predicted crash frequency to obtain an 

expected average crash frequency. In measuring the safety effectiveness, it was found that 

56% percent of the sites had a reduction in 

observed after-crash frequency compared to 

before-crash frequency. 

The HSM is an excellent tool for introducing crash 

prediction capabilities to transportation planning, 

design, and maintenance. As TDOT continues 

to advance the Project Safety Office with the 

development of Tennessee-specific data, this 

information will assist to further implement the 

HSM effectively. The safety project evaluation will 

continue as additional projects are completed, 

and TDOT will use the HSM to achieve its goal of 

reducing crashes in Tennessee.

Agency: Tennessee Department of 

Transportation (TDOT) — Project Safety Office

Project Contact: Brandon Darks, 

Manager — Project Safety Office

Email: Brandon.Darks@tn.gov

Phone: (615) 253-3999

WINNER (PPDE): Safety Projects Evaluation Report

The Safety Concern: Outcome evaluations are an important, but often-overlooked, element in 

demonstrating that safety investments achieved their real-world potential

The Solution: : A thorough review of six years of safety projects

The Result: Strong, actionable evidence for TDOT showing a 60% reduction in crash frequency overall, 

and cost-effectively identifying additional locations in need of further study or improvement

 WINNER (PPDE) TENNESSEE — 2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

Crash-modification factor analysis of roundabout installation.

Image courtesy TDOT
15

2017 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

King W. Gee

Director of Engineering and Technical Services

American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

Michael S. Griffith

Director, Office of Safety Technologies

Federal Highway Administration

Bruce Hamilton

Director of Safety and Research Programs

Roadway Safety Foundation

Bernardo Kleiner

Senior Program Officer – 

Transportation Safety Specialist

Transportation Research Board (TRB)

Jennifer Smith

Director, Image and Brands

Michelin North America

Marie B. Walsh, PhD

Director

Louisiana Local Technical Assistance 

Program (LTAP)

Terecia Wilson

Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Road 

Safety and Security

Clemson University

THE 2017 BLUE RIBBON PANEL 

Our sincere thanks to this year’s blue ribbon panel. Each of the judges below 

dedicated significant time and energy to evaluate the pool of applicants on the basis 

of innovation, effectiveness, and efficient use of resources. Without their contributions, 

the Awards program could not succeed.

ABOUT THE SPONSORS 

The Federal Highway Administration

The FHWA Office of Safety’s mission is to 

significantly reduce highway fatalities and serious 

injuries by making our roads safer through a 

data-driven, systematic approach to putting 

safety first when applying engineering, education, 

enforcement, and emergency medical services. 

Focus areas include: 

Comprehensive Strategic 

Planning, Roadway 

Departure, Intersections, 

Pedestrians and Speed 

Management.

US 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
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