I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2107 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve the safety of high risk 

rural roads, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 3, 2011 

Mr. MICHAUD (for himself and Mr. STARK) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve the 

safety of high risk rural roads, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘High Risk Rural Roads 

5 Safety Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. HIGH RISK RURAL ROADS SAFETY PROGRAM. 

7 Title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

8 after section 149 the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 150. High risk rural roads safety program 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 

3 program to improve the safety of high risk rural roads 

4 in accordance with this section. 

5 ‘‘(b) HIGH RISK RURAL ROAD PROJECTS.—Funds 

6 apportioned to a State under this section may be used for 

7 any of the following projects and activities to improve the 

8 safety of a high risk rural road: 

9 ‘‘(1) A road safety audit. 

10 ‘‘(2) An intersection safety improvement. 

11 ‘‘(3) Installation of rumble strips or another 

12 warning device, if the rumble strips or other warning 

13 devices do not adversely affect the safety or mobility 

14 of bicyclists, pedestrians, and the disabled. 

15 ‘‘(4) An improvement for pedestrian or bicyclist 

16 safety or safety of the disabled. 

17 ‘‘(5) Construction of a railway-highway crossing 

18 safety feature, including installation of protective de19 vices. 

20 ‘‘(6) Construction of a traffic calming feature. 

21 ‘‘(7) Improvement of highway signage and 

22 pavement markings, including to meet minimum lev23 els of retroreflectivity established by the Department 

24 of Transportation. 

25 ‘‘(8) Installation of a priority control system for 

26 emergency vehicles at signalized intersections. 


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1 ‘‘(9) Installation of a traffic control or other 

2 warning device at a location with high accident po3 tential. 

4 ‘‘(10) Installation of guardrails, barriers (in5 cluding barriers between construction work zones 

6 and traffic lanes for the safety of motorists and 

7 workers), and crash attenuators. 

8 ‘‘(11) The addition or retrofitting of structures 

9 or other measures to eliminate or reduce accidents 

10 involving vehicles and wildlife. 

11 ‘‘(12) Installation and maintenance of signs (in12 cluding fluorescent, yellow-green signs) at pedes13 trian-bicycle crossings and in school zones. 

14 ‘‘(13) Installation of a skid-resistant surface at 

15 an intersection or other location with a high fre16 quency of accidents. 

17 ‘‘(14) Improvement of an edge drop-off that is 

18 greater than 4 inches. 

19 ‘‘(15) Spot pavement and shoulder widening. 

20 ‘‘(16) Elimination of a roadside obstacle. 

21 ‘‘(17) Systemic improvements focusing on low22 cost safety infrastructure investments. 

23 ‘‘(18) Traffic enforcement or other activities re24 lating to work zone safety. 


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1 ‘‘(c) APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS.—On October 1 of 

2 each fiscal year, the Secretary shall apportion the sums 

3 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section for 

4 such fiscal year among the States in accordance with the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(1) 25 percent in the ratio that— 

7 ‘‘(A) the total rural major collector lane 

8 miles in each State; bears to 

9 ‘‘(B) the total rural major collector lane 

10 miles in all States. 

11 ‘‘(2) 25 percent in the ratio that— 

12 ‘‘(A) the total rural minor collector lane 

13 miles in each State; bears to 

14 ‘‘(B) the total rural minor collector lane 

15 miles in all States. 

16 ‘‘(3) 25 percent in the ratio that— 

17 ‘‘(A) the total rural local road lane miles 

18 in each State; bears to 

19 ‘‘(B) the total rural local road lane miles 

20 in all States. 

21 ‘‘(4) 25 percent in the ratio that— 

22 ‘‘(A) the total number of fatalities, in the 

23 most recent fiscal year for which data is avail24 able, on rural major collector, rural minor colVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:33 Jun 08, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2107.IH H2107

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1 lector, and rural local roads in each State; 

2 bears to 

3 ‘‘(B) the total number of fatalities, in the 

4 most recent fiscal year for which data is avail5 able, on rural major collector, rural minor col6 lector, and rural local roads in all States. 

7 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 

8 cost of a high risk rural road project carried out with 

9 funds apportioned to a State under this section shall be 

10 90 percent. 

11 ‘‘(e) ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS.—Notwith12 standing subsection (b), a State may use not more than 

13 1.25 percent or $100,000 of the funds apportioned to the 

14 State under this section in a fiscal year, whichever is 

15 greater, for a road assessment program, under which any 

16 of the following may be carried out to improve the safety 

17 of a high risk rural road: 

18 ‘‘(1) Risk mapping to document the safety per19 formance of a road. 

20 ‘‘(2) Documenting the risk of death or serious 

21 injury from an accident with respect to a road, in22 cluding specifying the locations where that risk is 

23 high or low. 

24 ‘‘(3) Monitoring changes in the safety perform25 ance of a road segment over time and determining 


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1 how those changes relate to safety improvement ac2 tivities. 

3 ‘‘(4) Examining the effectiveness of road infra4 structure improvements with respect to protecting 

5 road users from accidents, including accidents that 

6 result in death or serious injury. 

7 ‘‘(5) Identifying roads eligible to be assisted 

8 under subsection (b). 

9 ‘‘(6) Identifying cost-effective improvements for 

10 a specific road segment. 

11 ‘‘(f) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit annually 

12 to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of 

13 the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and In14 frastructure of the House of Representatives a report de15 scribing progress made in reducing the number of fatali16 ties and incapacitating injuries on each of the high risk 

17 rural roads with respect to which a project was carried 

18 out under this section. 

19 ‘‘(g) HIGH RISK RURAL ROAD DEFINED.—In this 

20 section, the term ‘high risk rural road’ means any roadway 

21 functionally classified as a rural major or minor collector 

22 or a rural local road— 

23 ‘‘(1) with respect to which there is a significant 

24 likelihood of accidents resulting in fatalities or inca25 pacitating injuries; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) with respect to which there is a physical 

2 condition that presents to users of the roadway an 

3 increased risk of an accident, including an accident 

4 resulting in a serious injury. 

5 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 is authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust 

7 Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out 

8 this section $400,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

9 through 2017. Funds made available to carry out this sec10 tion shall not be transferrable and shall remain available 

11 until expended.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

13 Section 148 of title 23, United States Code, is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) by striking subsection (f); and 

16 (2) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as 

17 subsections (f) and (g), respectively. 

18 SEC. 4. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 

19 The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, United States 

20 Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

21 section 149 the following: 

‘‘150. High risk rural roads safety program.’’. 

Æ 


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