Implementation of the WRRSP (Wyoming Rural Road Safety Program)

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.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=717
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Wyoming, Laramie

  Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
  1000 East University Avenue
  Laramie, WY  United States  82071

  University of Wyoming, Laramie

  Wyoming Technology Transfer Center
  1000 East University Avenue, Department 3295
  Laramie, WY  United States  82071

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Ksaibati, Khaled
  • 0000-0002-9241-1792
  • Evans, Bart
• Publication Date: 2011-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 86p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cost effectiveness; Crash analysis; High risk locations; Highway factors in crashes; Implementation; Rural highways; Safety programs
• Geographic Terms: Wyoming
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01363336
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC Report No. 11-244
• Files: UTC, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 23 2012 2:38PM