Local Rural Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Case Studies

US Transportation Collection2010PDFOtherMahgoub, Hesham S.Marshall, RonaldSouth Dakota State University. Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringSouth Dakota Local Transportation Assistance Program. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology OfficeSouth Dakota. Department of Transportation. Office of ResearchUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationSouth Dakota. Dept. of Transportation. Office of ResearchSouth DakotaUnited StatesCase studiesCounty roadsGuidelinesHighway safetyImprovementsLocal government agenciesRural highwaysSafety auditsStreetsRoad Safety AuditSD2007-06-F311022Final Report November 2007\u2014 June 2010The main goals of this project were to improve the safety performance of local rural roads in South Dakota by demonstrating Road Safety Audits and providing a Handbook of low-cost safety improvement strategies to County Highway Superintendents and other local highway agencies. As a part of the study, the Local Road Safety Handbook has been developed to provide information useful to local agencies for evaluating and improving safety using informal field reviews of safety issues on existing roadways to identify potential improvement actions. The study conducted twelve Road Safety Audits at selected sites along county highways, city streets, township roads, and other locations deemed appropriate for the study. The study included three county roads, five sites in Highland Township on local gravel surfaced roads, two intersections at the City of Pierre, and two railroad crossings. Each case study includes photographs, a project description, a summary of key findings, and the lessons learned. The aim of the case studies is to provide local road agencies with examples and advice that can assist them in implementing RSAs in their own jurisdictions. The Local Rural Road Safety Audit case studies have been well received by the participating highway agencies. In a short period of time since the RSAs were completed, numerous follow up actions have been taken to improve safety. Future RSAs on local rural roads will assist the local agencies to identify and prioritize safety improvements.143