PAVED HIGHWAY SHOULDERS AND ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE

This paper reports the results of a study that investigated the cost-effectiveness of paving rural primary highway shoulders. The methodology utilized compares the accident experience between highway sections similar in all respects, except for the presence or absence of a paved shoulder. The generally lower accident rate on paved shoulder highways is translated into dollar benefits and related to a range of paved shoulder construction costs and traffic volumes for the purpose of constructing cost-effectivenes graphs. The methodology is a feasible technique. A lower accident experience is associated with various types of highways having predominantly 3-ft to 4-ft paved shoulders, when compared with the identical highway counterpart in the unpaved shoulder category. A lower accident severity index is associated with homogeneous highway sections having 3-ft to 4-ft paved shoulders, when compared with identical highway counterparts having unpaved shoulders. For two-lane, two-way roadways, 3000 vehicle/day to 4000 vehicle/day category; the minimum cost-effectiveness occurs within the 2000 vehicle/day to 3000 vehicle/day category. Investment return analyses can be used to measure the cost-effectiveness of placing shoulders on two-lane two-way roadways, using as benefits only the estimated reductions in accident costs. For several shoulder paving alternatives under consideration, a priority ranking can be formulated, based upon either the earliest pay-off year in which the initial paving costs are recovered, or the alternatives with the largest rate of return. (MW)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/8674831
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Heimbach, C L
  • Hunter, W W
  • Chao, G C
• Publication Date: 1974-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 889-907
• Serial:
  • Journal of Transportation Engineering
  • Volume: 100
  • Issue Number: TE4
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0733-947X
  • Serial URL: https://ascelibrary.org/journal/jtepbs

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Measures of effectiveness; Paved shoulders; Primary highways; Rural highways; Traffic volume
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00132175
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proc Paper No. 10921
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 23 1977 12:00AM