2019 National Roadway Safety Awards
 • Effectiveness

 • Innovation

 • Efficient Use 

of Resources 

2019 National Roadway Safety Awards 

Recognizing life-saving

engineering solutions

that agencies have

integrated into their

roadway safety programs. 

Front cover and inside cover photos credit: Thinkstock 
2019 Noteworthy Practices Guide 

LETTER FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION 

I

am delighted to join the Roadway Safety This guide is

a showcase of 

collaboration, 

teamwork, and 

passion for 

safety. 

Foundation (RSF) in announcing the winners 

of the 2019 National Roadway Safety Awards 

competition. Every two years, the Federal 

Highway Administration and RSF ask public 

agencies from across the country to share with us 

their efforts to save lives on their communities’ 

roads. Those who do so most successfully while 

demonstrating innovation, effectiveness, and 

efficient use of taxpayer resources are honored

with this prestigious award. 

I encourage you to read through this Noteworthy 

Practices Guide, which summarizes each winning project and provides contact 

information for those who would like to learn more. In line with the missions of FHWA 

and RSF, each project must include an infrastructure or engineering component to be 

considered for an award, though you’ll see that our exceptional group of honorees

has gone above and beyond. From community outreach efforts, to integration with 

law enforcement, to novel ways of executing contracts, this guide is a showcase of

collaboration, teamwork, and passion for safety. It is our hope that many of these 

projects will generate interest from other agencies. 

Regardless of where we live or how we get around, all Americans deserve a safe and 

efficient transportation system. Our thanks to all of our 2019 award applicants for

showing us how they are working to achieve that goal, and a big congratulations to our 

distinguished group of winners! 

Thomas D. Everett U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration Executive Director

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Federal Highway Administration Washington, DC 20590

safety.fhwa.dot.gov 
 

2019 National Roadway Safety Awards 

LETTER FROM THE ROADWAY SAFETY FOUNDATION 

F

or two decades, the Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway 

Administration have come together to recognize stellar examples of one of the

most important functions of any level of government: protecting the lives of its 

citizens. The public agencies honored in the 2019 National Roadway Safety Awards 

have achieved this objective through some combination of improving infrastructure 

and operations on their roads, or finding innovative ways to plan, develop, deliver, and

evaluate projects more efficiently. We owe them an immense debt of gratitude.

This year, we’ve recognized eight projects in six states, including winners in Virginia,

Florida, South Dakota, Missouri, and Arizona, and an Honorable Mention in Garfield

County, Washington. From the Sunbelt to the Snowbelt, our winners have shown that

From the Sunbelt to 

the Snowbelt, our 

winners have shown 

that innovative 

and cost-effective 

approaches to 

problem-solving 

can save lives. 

innovative and cost-effective approaches to 

problem-solving can save lives and deliver 

important transportation projects for their 

communities. 

We could not sustain the National Roadway 

Safety Awards program without the 

generous support and input of our partners 

at the Federal Highway Administration, 

nor the dedication of our volunteer Blue 

Ribbon panel of judges that evaluates each 

of the applications. We are honored to 

have such outstanding partners, and are 

grateful for the opportunity to collaborate 

on this program. I’d also like to thank all of 

the agencies that applied for an award this 

year – the winners represent just a fraction 

of the outstanding work that is being done day in and day out on behalf of America’s 

road users. I hope that those who were not selected for an award this year will not be 

discouraged, and will instead keep an eye out for the 2021 call for nominations! 

My thanks and congratulations to all! 

Roadway Safety Foundation 

Gregory Cohen, P.E. 1920 L Street NW, Suite 525

Executive Director Washington, DC 20036-5012

Roadway Safety Foundation www.roadwaysafety.org 
2019 Noteworthy Practices Guide 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS CATEGORY (I&O) 

• Missouri: US 63 Road Safety Assessment and Safety Improvements ................... 6

• Arizona: Wrong-Way Driving Detection System.................................................... 7 

• South Dakota: Application of High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) 

in Winter Road Conditions ..................................................................................... 8 

PROGRAM PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION CATEGORY (PPDE) 

• Florida: Design-Build Push Button Contract .......................................................... 9 

• Virginia: Data- and Technology-Driven Strategic Guardrail 

Management Program...................................................................................... 10 

• Florida: “Alert Today Florida” Bicycle/Pedestrian Initiative ................................ 11 

• Virginia: Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) ................................................... 12 

HONORABLE MENTION 

• Garfield County, WA: Road Safety Improvement Program ................................. 13

THE 2019 BLUE RIBBON PANEL....................................................................... 14 

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS .................................................................................. 14 

Examples of winning entries from past competitions can be found at 

www.roadwaysafety.org/programs/national-roadway-safety-awards 
 WINNER (I&0) MISSOURI — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (I&O): US 63 Road Safety Assessment and Safety Improvements 

The Safety Concern: Four fatal and eight severe-injury crashes at three at-grade intersections 

along US 63. 

The Solution: Median U-Turn implementation to reduce potential for severe right-angle collisions. 

The Result: 50% crash reduction at the locations and no fatal crashes in over four years. 

I

n 2012, three at- is traditionally a left turn 

grade intersections onto the expressway.

along US 63 – a The concept is intended 

four-lane expressway to eliminate right-angle 

in central Missouri crashes, which are 

– were identified for typically more severe and 

improvements by more often lead to fatal 

a multi-disciplinary or serious injuries than 

team of engineers, other crash types. This 

technicians, law design had previously 

enforcement officers, been used in Missouri

and others who were with overall success, but 

performing Road Safety was unfamiliar to drivers 

Assessments (RSA) in the North Missouri

on the route between Photo courtesy of MoDOT region. An extensive public

Columbia, MO and the involvement campaign 

Iowa state border. The educated stakeholders, 

three intersections to be including business leaders, 

Median U-turn in Clark 

(intersection of US 63 and Routes B/P)

improved were those with the highest crash 

severity of the 11 initially studied: at Hinton 

Road north of Columbia in Boone County,

Routes B and P near Clark in Randolph

County, and Route M near Atlanta in Macon

County. Among the numerous severe-injury

crashes at these locations were four fatal 

collisions that took place prior to the sites 

being upgraded. 

To address the problem, project teams in the 

Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT)

Central and Northeast Districts developed and

implemented a solution to improve safety: 

following extensive public outreach, the team

proposed construction of “Median U-Turn”

intersections at all three locations. 

Median U-Turn intersections eliminate

side road crossing and side road left turn 

movements at intersections on four-lane 

expressways. The intersections require side

road traffic to turn right, merge into oncoming

traffic, then merge to a median deceleration

and U-turn movement to cross or make what 

city and county officials, statewide elected

officials, and the general public, on the need

for improvements and the benefits of the

Median U-Turn concept.

The three intersection projects were awarded 

in combination to a single contractor in April 

2014 and constructed through that summer 

and fall. Award costs for each intersection 

were between $650,000 and $1.43 million

– substantially lower than the estimated 

$5,000,000 - $7,000,000 that traditional

interchange improvements would have been 

at each location. 

Following construction, the three intersections 

have been monitored for performance, and results 

have been overwhelmingly positive. Overall

crashes were reduced by 50 percent, and fatal and

serious-injury crashes were completely eliminated. 

Agency: Missouri Department of

Transportation

Project Contact: Paula Gough, District Engineer

Email: paula.gough@modot.mo.gov 

Phone: (573) 248-2490

6
 

 WINNER (I&0) ARIZONA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (I&O): Arizona’s Wrong-Way Driving Detection System 

The Safety Concern: 116 wrong-way driving (WWD) fatalities in Arizona from 2004 – 2016, 

including a near doubling in WWD deaths between 2015 and 2016. 

The Solution: A first-in-the-nation WWD detection system using thermal camera technology.

The Result: Notification to authorities within 5 seconds of a WWD being detected, and 

immediate alerts to right-way drivers who are in the area. 

 rom 2004 – 2014,

91 people were 

killed in wrong-way 

crashes across Arizona. 

In the two years 2015 

and 2016, the number 

of serious injuries and 

fatalities due to wrongway drivers more than 

doubled, from 16 to 37, 

and amplified media 

attention brought new 

public concern to the 

issue. The crashes were 

following patterns – 75 

percent were occurring 

at night, most collisions 

occurred in left lanes 

between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., and 

about 75 percent of the drivers were impaired. 

Highway safety officials realized more had to be 

done to reduce the risk associated with wrongway drivers. 

In 2017, ADOT installed a first-in-the-nation 

wrong-way driving (WWD) detection system 

using thermal camera technology. All the 

hardware used for the pilot system is commercially available, off-the-shelf technology that 

has been used for decades in the transportation industry. The WWD system takes these 

time-proven components and assembles them 

in a new and innovative way. 

Installed along a 15-mile stretch of I-17 in 

central Phoenix, the $4 million system consists 

of 90 FLIR thermal cameras positioned throughout the corridor to detect wrong-way vehicles, 

illuminated “WRONG WAY” signs for enhanced 

notification to the wrong-way driver, geofenced 

alerts of incoming danger to right-way drivers 

app, and immediate 

notification to law 

enforcement and traffic 

operators in ADOT’s 

Traffic Operations 

Center (TOC). 

Previously, wrong-way 

driver alerts relied on 

911 calls, which are 

often contradictory 

and unreliable. The 

Photo courtesy AZDOT data now show law 

enforcement being 

notified within 5 seconds ADOT installed a frst-in-the-nation of the system detecting a wrong-way driving (WWD) detection wrong-way driver. 

system using thermal camera technology. 

Wrong-Way Pilot DMS Display to Right-Way Drivers 

Since January 2018, there 

have been 10 wrong-way vehicle entries onto 

the mainline of I-17. Law enforcement was 

alerted immediately to the location on I-17 and 

within minutes arrived in the area. Eighty-six 

wrong-way drivers have either self-corrected 

before entering the freeway or used the frontage road, and have not caused crashes. The 

system is also compiling data on WWD patterns 

to inform future engineering design developments. Interest in the system has been high, 

and ADOT has hosted traffic engineers from 

California, Texas, Rhode Island, North Carolina, 

Florida, Utah and Colorado who wanted to 

see it in action. ADOT also supported public 

engagement through its “Drive Aware, Get 

There” public outreach campaign to support 

the launch of the WWD detection system and 

educate drivers about minimizing risk. 

Agency: Arizona Department of

Transportation (ADOT)

Project Contact: Brent Cain, Division Director

Email: bcain@azdot.gov 

through overhead boards and the ADOT Alerts Phone: (602) 712-4728

7 
 WINNER (I&0) SOUTH DAKOTA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (I&O): South Dakota’s Application of High Friction Surface Treatment 

(HFST) in Winter Road Conditions 

The Safety Concern: One third of road departure crashes in South Dakota (which account for a 

majority of the state’s fatal and serious injury crashes) occur on horizontal curves, even though 

horizontal curves make up less than 10% of South Dakota’s road network. 

The Solution: The first demonstration of high friction surface treatment (HFST) as a successful

countermeasure in winter road conditions. 

The Result: A 77-80% crash reduction at the test project locations, yielding a 12:1 benefit-cost ratio.

Photo courtesy of SDDOT 

HFST applied at horizontal curve on US Highway 14A through Boulder Canyon west of Sturgis, South Dakota. 

“This project has demonstrated that the use of High Friction Surface Treatments are a great tool for enhancing our facilities with the goal of 

reducing crashes and fatalities. We were very excited with the results of the project and will be using the treatment on other locations in 

the state where appropriate. I applaud our employees’ efforts in finding innovations that are cost effective and strive to meet our goal of

providing ‘Better lives through better transportation.’” — Joel Jundt, Deputy Secretary, SDDOT 

High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) 

has been used widely across the US 

to treat road departure crashes at 

horizontal curves with wet road conditions as 

a contributing factor. However, South Dakota 

has five times more roadway departure crashes 

involving winter road conditions than wet road 

conditions, and discovered that HFST had not 

been tested as a treatment for this crash type. 

Moreover, one third of roadway departure 

crashes occur on horizontal curves, even 

though horizontal curves account for less than 

10 percent of the system. 

Due to the over-representation of road 

departure crashes at horizontal curves with 

winter road conditions as a contributing factor, 

it was decided to use HFST in an innovative 

way to address this safety need. In 2014, South 

Dakota completed a test project using HFST 

at four horizontal curves with dramatic results. 

A three year before and after crash analysis for 

the targeted crash type showed an 80 percent 

crash reduction; if the Winter Severity Index is 

applied, the total crash reduction is 77 percent. 

Given the success of the project, in 2017 

SDDOT expanded it to 15 locations in the 

Black Hills area of the state. For the five years 

prior to the project, these 15 sites averaged 

a total of 21 winter road condition crashes, 

including 7 injury/fatal crashes, per year. 

Through seven winter seasons after the project, 

there were nine crashes and one possible injury, 

for a total crash reduction of 78 percent and a 

benefit-cost ratio of the project of 12:1. 

Given the success of the project, in 2017 

SDDOT expanded it to 15 locations... 

Ultimately, the innovative use of HFST in South 

Dakota is anticipated to save $18M in societal 

crash costs – a tremendous benefit to the 

residents of South Dakota and those visiting or 

just passing through. 

Agency: South Dakota Department of

Transportation (SDDOT)

Project Contacts: Andy Vandel, 

Highway Safety Engineer 

Email: andy.vandel@state.sd.us 

Phone: (605) 773-4421

8 
 

 WINNER (PPDE) FLORIDA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (PPDE): Florida’s Design-Build Push Button Contract 

The Safety Concern: Many traffic safety improvement projects are too large for FDOT’s in-house 

maintenance teams, but not appropriate for major 5-year work plans, hence a long delay in 

getting from “concept to concrete”. 

The Solution: An innovative combination of two contractual mechanisms: design-build contracts 

and push-button contracts. 

The Result: A nearly 75% reduction in the length of time to get projects implemented, preventing approximately 55 crashes in the first year.

T

Photo courtesy of FDOT 

he traditional design/ push-button scenario, significant 

bid/build process that is time savings are realized from 

typical of transportation having pre-approved contractors 

projects often takes approxi- on stand-by who can quickly be 

mately 36 months to go from mobilized to do certain types of 

“concept to concrete.” The work. 

Design-Build Push Button The DBPB program is a partner- (DBPB) contract, developed ship of FDOT and the Federal by a team of Florida 

Department of Transportation Highway Administration’s (FHWA) 

Florida Division, and has been (FDOT) employees in the 

District office in the Tampa highly effective in achieving the 

goal of quickly getting safety Bay Region, is an innovative improvements implemented. program designed to In the first year of the program accelerate the process of I-275 NB Off Ramp and SB On Ramp 

at 31st St (2017-2018), it is estimated that constructing traffic safety over 55 crashes were avoided improvements. “From its inception, the goal has been 

focused on getting safety improvements by reducing safety improvement 

The innovative DBPB quickly from ‘concept to concrete.’ implementation time from three Through this contract, safety improve- contractual approach years to 310 days. Using FDOT’s ments can be constructed in just a few

addressed the inherent months, rather than taking three or more estimate of the societal costs of 

inefficiencies of the typical years as is typical through the traditional crashes involving injury to be an design, bid, build process. Each day we contractual process for these average of $152,866 per crash, save in getting these safety improve- traffic safety improvement ments built translates into lives being the total estimated societal benefit 

projects by combining the saved.” — David Gwynn, P.E. - District realized in the first year of the 

Seven Secretary, FDOT efficiencies of design-build DBPB contract is $8,407,630. 

contracts (in which designer is working in close Given the success of this first-of-its-kind concoordination with the construction team) with tractual arrangement designed specifically to 

the time savings of push-button contracts (in accelerate construction of safety improvements 

which pre-selected push-button contractor in order to move toward zero deaths, FDOT will 

is able to quickly get to work since all of the be expanding the use of DBPB throughout the 

contractual paperwork is already in place). state, and Florida’s FHWA Division Office has 

In the design-build scenario, the designer promoted it to other Divisions as well.

and the construction contractor are working Agency: Florida Department of together on the same team, so there are no 

misunderstandings about the what and the how Transportation (FDOT) 

Project Contact: Matt Nance, Safety Studies of the project. The project also gets built faster, Engineer as construction activities can begin while some Email: matthew.nance@dot.state.fl.us parts of the plan are still being finalized. In the Phone: (813) 975-6747

9 
 

 

 

 WINNER (PPDE) VIRGINIA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (PPDE): Data- and Technology-Driven Strategic 

Guardrail Management Program in Virginia 

The Safety Concern: Roadway departure crashes account for approximately two-thirds of 

Virginia’s highway fatalities, yet the state lacked an efficient way to manage one of its most 

important assets to combat this crash type: guardrails. 

The Solution: An innovative data- and risk-based strategic guardrail management program. 

The Result: Successful management of the state’s 7,400 miles of guardrail, and prioritized improvements to the lowest-functioning guardrails/end terminals in the locations with highest crash risk. 

I

n Virginia, approximately

two thirds of fatalities 

are the result of roadway 

departure crashes. Various

national research studies 

indicate that having appropriate guardrail can produce 

a crash reduction factor 

of up to 40 percent for 

roadway departure crashes. 

Therefore, the repair, replacement, and/or upgrade

of guardrail systems is 

critical to the safety of the 

traveling public. 

The Virginia Department of

Transportation (VDOT) maintains the third largest state-maintained highway 

system and one of the largest guardrail networks 

in the nation, with approximately 7,400 miles of

guardrail and 150,000 terminals. Like many other

states, VDOT faces many challenges managing

this very complicated program, including aging 

assets, lack of inventory and information on 

condition, intense regulatory and media interest 

in guardrail safety and performance, changing 

guardrail standards, and limited funding for 

guardrail repair and upgrades. 

To meet these challenges, in 2016, VDOT

established a new data- and risk-based strategic 

guardrail management program and leveraged 

data and technology to drive institutional changes in policy, inventory, process, and supporting 

management tools. For instance, leveraging technology, VDOT collected a complete statewide

guardrail terminal inventory with detailed manufacturer and product information within a few 

months and at a nominal cost. A new Guardrail 

Tracker Tool allows data collection 

and communication via a single, 

agency-wide, cloud-based GIS 

platform. It also supports activities 

across the guardrail lifecycle, from 

initial warrant assessment, design, 

project delivery, maintenance, and 

eventual upgrade and/or removal.

VDOT also moved from the

traditional paving corridor-driven 

investment approach and now 

prioritizes investment across the 

full network through an innovative 

Photo courtesy of VDOT framework that integrates crash 

and roadway geometry, guardrail Guardrail teams assess a high priority 

guardrail using the VDOT Guardrail Tracker condition, and paving project data. 

This risk- and performance-based 

approach allows VDOT to identify and improve

guardrail assets with the highest safety benefits,

maximizing limited resources. Other program

highlights also include real-time performance 

measures through Business Intelligence (BI) tools, 

mobile field data collection, and a robust knowledge management program. 

Through these innovations, VDOT has measurably improved life-cycle management of guardrail 

and its return on investments, better protecting 

the safety of the traveling public in Virginia by

improving hundreds of the lowest-functioning 

guardrail terminals at the highest-risk locations 

across the state, including the top 10th percentile 

Interstate crash locations. 

Agency: Virginia Department of 

Transportation (VDOT)

Project Contact: Vanloan Nguyen, Assistant 

State Traffic Engineer 

Email: vanloan.nguyen@dot.virginia.gov 

Phone: (804) 786-2918

10 
 

 WINNER (PPDE) FLORIDA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (PPDE): “Alert Today Florida” Bicycle/Pedestrian Initiative 

The Safety Concern: From 2008 – 2011, Florida suffered the highest pedestrian and bicycle 

fatality rates in the United States. 

The Solution: Development of a comprehensive Bicycle/Pedestrian Focused Initiative branded 

“Alert Today Florida”. 

The Result: 18 lives saved, 324 injuries prevented, and more than a $200 million savings for the state. 

B

ased on crash data 

from the National 

Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA), 

Florida had the highest 

pedestrian and bicyclist 

fatality rates in the US from 

2008–2011. Pedestrian and

bicycle safety is a major 

concern and has been 

elevated to one of the 

highest priorities in Florida. 

To develop and implement 

effective and sustainable 

solutions to improve 

pedestrian and bicycle 

safety in Florida, the 

Florida Department of

Transportation (FDOT) developed Florida’s Bicycle/

Pedestrian Focused 

Initiative in 2011 to lead all 

efforts to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in 

the state. The campaign 

was branded “Alert Today 

Florida” in 2012. In 2013,

FDOT developed Florida’s

Pedestrian and Bicycle 

Strategic Safety Plan 

Photo courtesy of FDOT 

Participants fill out surveys and/or pledges to receive 

a pedestrian and bicycle safety bag of educational

information. 

“Alert Today Florida has increased awareness in motorists 

of the importance of sharing the road safely with 

vulnerable road users, and the high visibility enforcement 

campaign has helped to achieve this change. Great 

inroads in our communities have been made by the 

program’s focus on education and enforcement.“ 

— Mr. L. K. Nandam, P. E., District One Secretary, FDOT 

Where HVE operations and 

educational activities took place ... 

a total of 18 lives were saved, and 

324 injuries and 338 pedestrian 

and bicycle crashes were avoided. 

From 2013 to the present,

under Alert Today Florida, 

major pedestrian and 

bicycle safety-related 

engineering projects, 

educational outreach 

events, paid media 

advertisements, and High 

Visibility Enforcement

(HVE) activities have

been implemented 

statewide, especially in 

priority areas. Based on 

available official crash

data, between 2016–2017

and 2015–2016, there was

a 5.14 percent reduction

in pedestrian and bicyclist 

fatalities, a 4.60 percent

reduction in injuries, and a 

3.88 percent reduction in

crashes on selected highcrash corridors in the top 

15 high priority counties

where HVE operations

and educational activities 

took place. A total of 18

lives were saved, and 324

injuries and 338 pedestrian and bicycle crashes 

(PBSSP) and formed the Florida Pedestrian and Florida was more than $209 million. Bicycle Safety Coalition to vigorously implement

the plan. Alert Today Florida adopted a Agency: Florida Department of 

data-driven approach to use available resources Transportation (FDOT) 

to achieve the most tangible results, focusing Project Contact: Trenda McPherson, State 

on engineering, education, enforcement, and Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Program Manager

emergency medical services, while prioritizing Email: trenda.mcpherson@dot.state.fl.us 

areas with the highest representation of traffic Phone: (850) 414-4025

crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to 

pedestrians and bicyclists. 

were avoided. The estimated cost savings for 

11 
 WINNER (PPDE) VIRGINIA — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

WINNER (PPDE): Virginia’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) 

The Safety Concern: Between 2012 and 2016, over 450 pedestrians died and another 8,000 were 

injured while walking across or along public roads in Virginia. 

The Solution: VDOT created a PSAP to better understand Virginia’s pedestrian safety concerns, 

recommend policy changes, and identify and fund locations for pedestrian safety projects. 

The Result: The PSAP report and online map were completed in May 2018 and, in November 2018, 

VDOT awarded $8 million to 25 pedestrian safety projects at PSAP-identified locations across Virginia.

P

edestrian safety is 

a major concern in 

Virginia. Between

2012 and 2016, over

450 pedestrians

died and over 8,000

were injured while 

walking along or across 

Virginia’s public roads.

Over 90 percent of

Virginia’s pedestrian

crashes occur when the 

pedestrian is crossing 

the street. More than

half (62% of crashes)

occur at mid-block pedestrian crossings. 

In the spring of 2018, the Virginia Department 

of Transportation (VDOT) released its first 

statewide Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP), 

a national model focusing on sites where safety 

countermeasures should be considered to improve pedestrian safety. The PSAP process, led 

by VDOT and a stakeholder team, evaluated all 

public road segments in Virginia to determine 

locations with a history of, or potential for, 

pedestrian safety concerns. This evaluation 

demonstrated the interaction between the built 

environment and pedestrian safety. 

During the summer of 2018, VDOT hosted a

series of workshops across the Commonwealth

to walk VDOT, local agency staff and contractors through the final report and interactive

website and mapping tool, introducing them 

to the priority pedestrian corridors and crash 

clusters in their respective areas. 

The educational workshops fostered partnerships with local agencies by quickly identifying

Photo courtesy of VDOT 

Pacific Avenue, Virginia Beach PSAP Improvements

low-cost, high-benefit pedestrian safety

countermeasures. To be eligible for the 

funding, proposed projects had to target road 

locations on a priority pedestrian corridor or in 

a crash cluster identified by the PSAP. VDOT

prioritized projects that could be completed 

quickly, by 2019 or early 2020.

Fifty-nine candidate PSAP projects valued 

at over $43 million were submitted to VDOT

within weeks of the funding announcement. 

After evaluating submittals, in November 

2018, VDOT announced the award of the $8

million to 25 projects. VDOT will continue to

monitor projects that received funding. The 

team expects a reduction in pedestrian crashes at locations where PSAP countermeasures 

are installed. 

Agency: Virginia Department of 

Transportation (VDOT)

Project Contact: Mark A. Cole, State Highway 

Safety Engineer 

Email: mark.cole@vdot.virginia.gov 

Phone: (804) 786-4196

areas where pedestrian safety may 

need attention and 

resource investment. 

At the workshops, 

VDOT announced

$8 million dollars

in initial funding for 

infrastructure projects 

at the locations 

identified in the

plan. The funding 

was available for 

pedestrian crossing 

improvements using 

12 
 

 

GARFIELD COUNTY — 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

HONORABLE MENTION: Garfield County Road Safety Improvement Program 

The Safety Concern: Rural Garfield County, WA lacked a data-driven, systematic process for 

identifying and prioritizing road safety improvement needs on county roads. 

The Solution: Development of the Garfield County Road Safety Improvement Plan (RSIP).

The Result: A dozen projects completed, ongoing, or planned which have resulted in a 16% drop in 

crashes county-wide. 

espite a commitment 

to work with Federal 

and State Agencies 

to make roadway safety 

a top priority and move 

“Towards Zero Deaths” 

(TZD), Garfield County, 

WA lacked a data-driven, 

systematic process for 

identifying and addressing 

crash patterns and safety 

improvement needs on 

the county roadway 

network. This was of 

particular concern for 

Garfield County, which is a 

small rural jurisdiction with 

limited resources to invest 

in capital projects. Fully 

committing to goals set 

forth for the TZD initiative 

required establishment 

of a plan that identified 

feasible goals, applicable 

countermeasures, and 

efficient processes to 

prioritize investments. 

To pursue the goals of the 

TZD initiative, Garfield 

improvements, and 

develop a process for 

prioritizing investments. 

Subsequently, plans

for collecting data in 

a systematic manner 

have been established, 

two projects have 

been completed since 

initial development of 

the Safety Plan, two 

ongoing programs have 

been created to address 

roadside and clear zone 

issues, and eight projects 

have been included in the 

Photos courtesy of Garfield County, WA County’s Planned Safety

Projects list. Preliminary 

examination of crash data

for the entire County indicates a 16 percent drop in

crashes. As more projects 

initiated in the Safety 

Plan are completed, 

crash and other relevant Full striping (centerline and fog lines), system wide

sign evaluation and upgrades, delineators, vertical data will be tracked to 

panels, guardrail, roadside hazard mitigation, alignment determine effectiveness 

correction, sight distance improvements. of specific applied

County developed the Garfield County Road 

Safety Improvement Plan (RSIP), which serves as 

the cornerstone of a long-term, comprehensive 

safety program for the County’s rural roadway 

system. The RSIP examines historical crash data 

and highlights contributing factors for crashes, 

and provides a framework to collect data, 

analyze crash patterns, screen the rural roadway 

network for safety needs, identify low-cost 

countermeasures applicable throughout the entire roadway network, target locations for safety 

countermeasures. 

Local Agency: Garfield County, WA

Project Contact: Walter G. Morgan, PE, 

County Engineer

Email: garfeng@co.garfield.wa.us

Phone: (509) 843-1301

Consulting Agency: Skillings Connolly, Inc.

Project Contact: Floraliza Bornasal, Ph.D., 

Traffic Engineer

Email: lbornasal@skillings.com 

Phone: (360) 491-3399

13
 2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE

THE 2019 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. 

Bruce Hamilton, MPH 

Managing Director

Roadway Safety Foundation 

Ivan Horodyskyj, P.E. 

NOVA District Traffic Engineer

Virginia Department of Transportation

Bernardo Kleiner

Senior Program Officer – Transportation Safety 

Specialist 

Transportation Research Board (TRB) 

Norah Ocel, PE 

Safety Partnerships Manager

Federal Highway Administration 

ABOUT THE SPONSORS 

Brian C. Roberts, PE 

Principal 

BCR Consulting, LLC

Marie B. Walsh, PhD 

Director

Louisiana Local Technical Assistance 

Program (LTAP) 

Terecia W. Wilson, RSP 

Professor of Practice and Assistant Director

Institute for Global Road Safety & Security 

Clemson University

The Federal Highway Administration 

The FHWA Office of Safety’s mission is to exercise 

leadership throughout the multidisciplinary 

highway community (engineering, law enforcement, education and emergency medical service) 

to make the Nation’s roadways safer for all users 

by significantly reducing highway fatalities and 

serious injuries through a data-driven approach. 

The current focus approach 

to safety includes the 

following areas: Roadway 

Departure, Intersections, 

and Bicycle and Pedestrians. 

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 

14
2019 NOTEWORTHY PRACTICES GUIDE
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