Traffic & Safety Engineering Project Selection Process By Neil E. Boudreau State Traffic Engineer MassDOT Highway Division 1 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Traffic & Safety Programs Highway Safety Improvement Program Statewide Freeway Signing Upgrades Traffic Signal Upgrades Highway Lighting Upgrades 2 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Highway Safety Improvement Program MAP-21 funding (approximately $25M / year) Multi-Agency HSIP Task Force: Regional Planning Agencies MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning MassDOT Highway Division FHWA Massachusetts Division $10M allocated for the regions (project selection determined by MPOs but must be HSIP eligible) $15M allocated to larger scale / more regional projects or systemic projects 3 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
HSIP Project Selection Criteria Locations must originate from a comprehensive list of the highest crash locations at the State level or Regional level Candidate projects must be locations where the data indicates a high incidence of crash severity based on the Equivalent Property Damage Only (EPDO) index: Property Damage = 1 Point Injury = 5 Points Fatality = 10 points MassDOT generates a High Crash Locations Report which includes Intersections, Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Clusters MassDOT s official HSIP Project Selection Criteria states that all candidate locations will require that an accompanying Road Safety Audit (RSA) report to verify the project will address the safety issues 4 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
HSIP Interactive Map Web-based tool to evaluate HSIP eligibility Display Statewide Top 200 High Crash Locations and Top 5% Regional High Crash Locations Available for HSIP eligible locations: Vehicle Crashes Pedestrian Crashes Bicycle Crashes 5 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
HSIP Crash Clusters Can zoom in and identify specific crash breakdown for a High Crash Cluster Location 6 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Statewide Freeway Signing Upgrades Program focuses on the replacement and update of all overhead and ground-mounted guide sign panels, exit gore, warning, regulatory, and route marker signs Under agreement with the FHWA Massachusetts Division, MassDOT maintains a 10-12 year cycle replacement program for freeway signs Sign support structures are evaluated and typically replaced every other cycle to maintain the integrity of the structures Projects are selected based on the age and condition of the sign panels and structures 7 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Traffic Signals District Traffic Engineers will request consultant support for the evaluation of existing traffic signal systems Boston Traffic Engineering Office has retained an on-call consultant to respond to requests from the District Offices as well as inquiries from the General Public Work is focused on making timing and phasing updates at the signals as well as the upgrading of equipment at locations under the jurisdiction of MassDOT Projects are always selected based on operational needs and the age of the equipment Design recommendations are then implemented by the District utilizing their traffic signal betterment contracts 8 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Highway Lighting The Boston Traffic Section requests a prioritized list of lighting systems in need of repair from each District After an internal review, a list of systems in most need of repair is prepared and prioritized Project is then initiated and assigned to a MassDOT oncall Consultant that specializes in highway lighting design The project proceeds through the MassDOT project development process all the way to advertising Available funding for Highway Lighting projects will often determine the schedule for construction 9 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot
Contact Information: Neil Boudreau, State Traffic Engineer MassDOT Highway Division Email: neil.boudreau@state.ma.us 10 of 10 Leading the Nation in Transportation Excellence www.mass.gov/massdot