NYSDOT'S SAFETY APPURTENANCE PROGRAM (SAFETAP) - MAINTAINING OUR ROADSIDE SAFETY ASSETS

The New York State Department of Transportation's (NYSDOT's) Safety Appurtenance Program (SAFETAP) evolved in the early 1990s in response to a pavement maintenance initiative designed to ensure the maintenance of New York's pavements at reduced cost. Called the Preventive Maintenance Paving (PMP) program, this initiative called for a simple 1.5 inch overlay of pavements rated "fair" in order to avoid more extensive and expensive future treatments. The PMP program proved effective in cost-effectively maintaining the State's pavements. However, while a process was designed in such a way as to ensure that accidents did not increase as a result of the higher speeds associated with new roadway surfaces, opportunities to improve highway safety along the treated sections of roadway were not included in the program. This decision - not to use this dedicated pavement maintenance program to address opportunities to improve highway safety - assumed added significance as more miles paved each year moved from the Department's "standards based" 3R Program to the PMP resurfacing program. Historically, the maintenance of roadside appurtenances has depended to a large degree on the inclusion of those kinds of improvements in the Department's pavement resurfacing programs. Between 1990 and 1997 the share of miles resurfaced under the PMP resurfacing program increased from 45% of total to 70% of total. This posed a serious problem not only from a highway safety, but also from a highway maintenance perspective. Sponsors of SAFETAP viewed it as both an added opportunity to ensure against accident increases in the short term following resurfacing, as well as an opportunity to provide for long term (permanent) accident reductions.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bray, J S
• Conference:
  • Ninth AASHTO/TRB Maintenance Management Conference
  • Location: Juneau, Alaska
  • Date: 2000-7-16 to 2000-7-20
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 22p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cost effectiveness; Highway safety; Pavement maintenance; Preventive maintenance; Resurfacing; Roadside structures; Traffic crashes
• Geographic Terms: New York (State)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Safety and Human Factors; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00795312
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Session A
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 18 2000 12:00AM