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Integrating Road Safety into NEPA Analysis: A Primer for Safety and Environmental Professionals

Table of Contents

1. Abbreviations
2. Preface
3. 1.0 Introduction
   1. 1.1 Primer Organization
   2. 1.2 Using the Primer
4. 2.0 NEPA Overview and Levels of Documentation
   1. 2.1 NEPA Overview
   2. 2.2 Classes of Action
5. 3.0 Considering Safety Before the NEPA Process
   1. 3.1 Introduction
   2. 3.2 Linking The NEPA Process to Safety Planning
   3. 3.3 Transitioning into the NEPA Process
6. 4.0 Public and Stakeholder Outreach
   1. 4.1 Introduction
   2. 4.2 Scoping
   3. 4.3 Who to Contact
   4. 4.4 Questions to Ask
7. 5.0 Purpose and Need Statements
   1. 5.1 Introduction
   2. 5.2 Defining the Safety Problem
   3. 5.3 Considering Multimodal Safety
   4. 5.4 If Safety is Not Part of the Purpose and Need
   5. 5.5 Summary
8. 6.0 Alternatives Analysis
9. 6.1 Introduction
   1. 6.2 Developing Alternatives
   2. 6.3 Screening Alternatives
10. 7.0 Defining the Affected Environment
    1. 7.1 Introduction
    2. 7.2 Project Contexts and Safety Considerations
11. 8.0 Analysis of Environmental Impacts and Mitigation
    1. 8.1 Introduction
    2. 8.2 Construction Impacts
    3. 8.3 Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
    4. 8.4 Mitigation and Enhancements
    5. 8.5 Safety After the NEPA Process
12. A. Resources
    1. A.1 NEPA Training
    2. A.2 Safety Training
    3. A.3 References for NEPA Regulation and Guidance
    4. A.4 Analytical Tools and Resources for Identifying and Addressing Project-Level Safety Issues
13. B. Case Studies
    1. B.1 Colorado DOT: East Eagle Interchange -- Innovative Process for Including Safety in Alternatives Analysis
    2. B.2 Colorado DOT: Central Park Boulevard -- Safety Analysis Techniques
    3. B.3 Washington DOT: SR 502 -- Using Proven Safety Countermeasures
    4. B.4 District of Columbia DOT: South Capitol Street -- Addressing Safety for Multiple Modes
    5. B.5 Wisconsin DOT: U.S. 8 -- Public Involvement and Safety
    6. B.6 Tennessee DOT: Expediting Road Safety Improvements

List of Tables

1. Table 4.1 Potentially Interested Stakeholders
2. Table 5.1 Information and Data to Include in Purpose and Need Statements for Safety Focused Projects
3. Table 7.1 Summary of Characteristics and Considerations in Special Contexts

List of Figures

1. Figure 2.1 NEPA Decision-Making Process -- Levels of Documentation
2. Figure 2.2 Integrating Safety into NEPA Analysis
3. Figure 3.1 Integrating SHSP Priorities into other Plans and Programs
4. Figure 5.1 Nominal and Substantive Safety
5. Figure B.1 Alternatives Analysis Summary Sheets
6. Figure B.2 Colorado DOT LOSS Model for Total Crashes in Study Area
7. Figure B.3 Build -- No-Build Alternative
8. Figure B.4 Streetscape Concept for South Capitol Street

Abbreviations

AASHTO

American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials

CE

Categorical Exclusions

CSS

Context Sensitive Solutions

DEIS

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

EA

Environmental Assessments

EIS

Environmental Impact Statements

FEIS

Final Environmental Impact Statement

FHWA

Federal Highway Administration

FONSI

Finding of No Significant Impact

HSIP

Highway Safety Improvement Program

IHSDM

Interactive Highway Safety Design Model

MUTCD

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

NCHRP

National Cooperative Highway Research Program

NEPA

National Environmental Policy Act

PEL

Planning and Environmental Linkages

ROD

Record of Decision

RSA

Road Safety Audits

SAFETEA-LU

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users

SHSO

State Highway Safety Office

SHSP

Strategic Highway Safety Plan

TIP

Transportation Improvement Program

Preface

www.pedbikeimages.org/danburden

This primer presents strategies to capitalize on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process as an effective tool for maximizing the safety benefits of transportation projects. It describes how to take advantage of the latest safety research and analysis techniques at every stage of the NEPA process, and how to link these to safety planning. It is one of a series of primers covering integration of different elements of safety into the transportation planning process.

The NEPA process provides a unique opportunity to apply the latest research and analytical techniques for project-level safety analysis. These techniques are becoming more sophisticated as the field of transportation safety advances. Crash data collection techniques have improved, new tools and protocols for analyzing crash data are available, and research on the effectiveness of safety improvement strategies has expanded. Furthermore, all states have a multidisciplinary transportation safety planning process in place.

However, not every stage of transportation project development fully reflects these advancements. This raises the question, has the NEPA process reached its potential value for shaping project-level decision-making? Few NEPA documents contain scientific safety analysis or reference research demonstrating that planned improvements will have a safety benefit. This document is intended to improve the consideration of safety issues in the NEPA process and documents.