June 22, 2017
Innovation of the Month:
Data-Driven Safety Analysis
In most States, more than half of traffic fatalities occur on local roads. During Every Day Counts round four (EDC-4), the Federal Highway Administration is helping local as well as State agencies become proficient in using data-driven safety analysis (DDSA) tools to reduce crashes.
In Thurston County, WA, the public works department used systemic analysis tools to prioritize projects and better target safety investments. Using FHWA's Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool allowed the agency to pinpoint at-risk locations on its system and identify appropriate safety countermeasures to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) used systemic DDSA to develop road safety plans for each of its 87 counties. The analysis showed that half of traffic fatalities in the State were on local roads, so MnDOT helped local agencies implement the safety plans by sharing funding with them in proportion to the number of projects on their systems.
View a video on how Minnesota agencies are applying DDSA to reduce crashes.
Visit FHWA's Systemic Approach to Safety page.
See FHWA's library of DDSA resources.
Arizona Innovation Council Advances Nine EDC Innovations
The Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation (ACTI), a State Transportation Innovation Council, held the first of its 2017 EDC workshops to discuss best practices to deploy 9 EDC-4 innovations. The workshop provided a forum for ACTI's 9 innovation deployment teams to discuss strategies to advance all the innovations. Over 30 public and private sector representatives on the innovation teams brainstormed deployment ideas and exchanged lessons learned. ACTI holds semiannual workshops as a catalyst to maintain the spirit of innovation in Arizona. To learn more about ACTI's innovation deployment strategies, contact Jennifer Brown, Innovation Coordinator, FHWA Arizona Division at Jennifer.Brown@dot.gov.
Tennessee Bridge Replacement Uses Accelerated Bridge Construction
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is using accelerated bridge construction (ABC) on its project to replace the I-24 bridges over Oldham and Spring Streets in downtown Nashville. ABC will help TDOT minimize traffic congestion and provide a safer commute for the 148,000 vehicles that travel the interstate section each day. The work will require a road closure for four weekends starting in October 2017, but this process will allow construction to be finished in months instead of years. The project is scheduled for completion in June 2018.
Traffic Incident Management Data Workshops Available
FHWA conducted workshops in Iowa, Maine, and Nebraska on June 13 to 15 to help transportation agencies advance the EDC-4 effort on using data to improve traffic incident management (TIM). The workshops enabled participants to identify opportunities to increase the amount, consistency, and quality of data collection to support TIM performance measures. Earlier, FHWA held workshops in New Hampshire and Vermont. To schedule a workshop, contact Paul Jodoin of the FHWA Office of Operations or the EDC coordinator in your State FHWA division office. View an Innovation Spotlight video on using data to improve TIM.
