West South Boulevard Redesign Safety Assessment

Federal Highway Administration2022PDFTech ReportDunn, MichaelVHB/Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyRoche, JerryPascual, Sarah WeissmanUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyUnited StatesAlabamaArterial highwaysPedestrian safetySafety analysisHighway designSafetyPedestriansSuburbanArterialIHSDMHighway Safety ManualFHWA-SA-21-075DTFH61-16-D-00052Roche, JerryCase StudyThis case study summarizes a safety analysis conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Geometric Design Lab (GDL), in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the FHWA Alabama Division. GDL used the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) software to assess the safety performance of W South Boulevard, a high-volume, high-speed suburban arterial in Montgomery, Alabama. This analysis supported a proposed access management design that included pedestrian improvements. The existing corridor lacked pedestrian accommodations but exhibited notable pedestrian activity and informal worn paths. The corridor also experienced a higher-than-expected number of crashes in recent years, particularly pedestrian crashes. GDL used the IHSDM\u2019s Crash Prediction Model to predict annual crashes and compare the existing condition of W South Boulevard with the proposed redesign that included pedestrian safety improvements. The results of the data-driven analysis informed ALDOT\u2019s decision-making on the project and increased confidence in the pedestrian safety elements selected for the final design. W South Boulevard represents a facility type that is common throughout the United States, especially where suburban and rural areas interface and mixed land uses are adjacent to major freeway corridors. This example showcases one way that data-driven safety analysis and crash prediction available through IHSDM can enable agencies to make informed investments in road user safety.137