Title: Implementation of the Wyoming rural road safety program
Description: SAFETEA-LU contains language indicating that State Department of Transportation (DOTs) will be required to address safety on local and rural roads. It is important for state, county, and city officials to cooperate in producing a comprehensive safety plan to improve statewide safety. This legislation provides an opportunity to implement a more cohesive and comprehensive approach to local road safety in Wyoming. The Wyoming Local Technical Assistant Program (LTAP) coordinated an effort in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), Wyoming Division of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), as well as Wyoming counties and cities to identify low-cost safety improvements on high-risk rural roads in Wyoming. Crash data was obtained from the WYDOT CARE program which includes all reported crashes on all rural county roads. Wyoming rural roads have relatively small numbers of crashes. Therefore, longer analysis periods were needed to identify high-risk locations. The Wyoming Rural Road Safety Program (WRRSP) obtained data over a 10-year period to conduct crash data analysis. The combined crash data and field safety evaluation procedure will result in the identification of high crash locations where specific safety countermeasures are recommended. The proposed benefit/cost analysis will insure that only cost-effective measures will be selected for funding. WYDOT approved the WRRSP and recommended statewide implementation in 2008. In addition, WYDOT and the FHWA Division office approved the WRRSP for eligibility to receive funding from the High Risk Rural Road (HRRR) Program. Three Wyoming counties were included in the initial study, and nine additional counties have participated since the initial study. Three additional counties have already requested help to implement this program in the near future. The statewide implementation was launched in 2009. Safety projects funded by the WRRSP included: Installation of advance warning signs, delineators, and guard railing, pavement striping; widening of shoulders; relocation of mail boxes from inside of right of way (ROW); installation of culvert and cattleguard extensions; relocation of fences, and improving horizontal and vertical alignments. A statewide sign program was also implemented with the WRRSP. This report summarizes the implementation of the WRRSP in Wyoming.
Subjects: Traffic signs and signals, Rural roads, Safety measures
Places: Wyoming