Oregon Department of Transportation Safety Corridor Program

1. Oregon Department of TransportationSafety Corridor Program Presented by: Anne Holder, Roadway Safety Program Manager ODOT Transportation Safety Division May 2008

2. Background: Oregon’s Program started in 1989 and is limited to Oregon state highways. To date the Program has commissioned 18 corridors with 12 currently commissioned. Legislation is in place to allow police to nearly double the fines for traffic infractions committed in the corridors if “Double Fine” signs are posted. The Program has a safety corridor sign plan which is adapted for each corridor when commissioned. This is a “4-E” program that focuses on blending the “4-E’s” of transportation safety e.g. Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

3. Safety Corridor Program Establishment within Oregon’s DOT: The Program has been established and reports to the ODOT Traffic Operations Leadership Team which is chaired by the State Traffic Engineer. Others represented on this Team include all State Traffic Managers and Engineers for ODOT’s 5 geographical Regions. Their role is to set program policy. Statewide Program Management occurs at ODOT Headquarters within the Transportation Safety Division which is Oregon’s equivalent of the State Highway Safety Office. The Statewide Safety Corridor Program Managers role: Develop guidelines, Analyze annual corridor data and make recommendations statewide, Approve corridor designation and decommissionings, Identify program funding, Manage statewide public information & education campaigns, and, Manage statewide overtime enforcement grants. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

4. Safety Corridor Program Establishment within Oregon’s DOT: Traffic analysts and engineers within the Traffic and Roadway Engineering Sections role: Analyze annual data and make recommendations statewide, Approve designation and decommissionings, Develop the statewide safety corridor sign design, and, Assist Regions in identifying crash causality and engineering related countermeasures. The Crash Analysis and Reporting Section is responsible for generating annual safety corridor crash reports on each safety corridor. These reports identify the fatal and serious injury crashes, total fatalities, and total crashes and then provide related comparison data statewide including weighted averages. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

5. Safety Corridor Program Establishment within Oregon’s DOT: The Region Transportation Safety Coordinators which are housed in each of the 5 ODOT Region Traffic Sections are managed by each Regions Traffic Manager and have asoft report to the Transportation Safety Division. The Region Transportation Safety Coordinator, Region Manager and Engineers role: Identify potential safety corridors, Provide ownership of the safety corridors in their Region, Facilitate the Safety Corridor Stakeholder Group, Analyze crash causality & identify “4-E” countermeasures, Coordinate annual safety corridor traffic control device upgrades, Implement the safety corridor signing plan, Recommend corridor designation & decommissionings, Develop and implement low cost maintenance or construction projects, and Develop and implement annual corridor plans and plan reviews. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

7. Safety Corridor Program Guidelines and Commissioning: Safety Corridor Program Guidelines were developed and are a living document through the approval of the Traffic Operations Leadership Team. Three major Commissioning criterion: The last 3 years of fatal & serious injury crash rates are at or above 110% of the statewide average for a similar type of roadway. The state or local law enforcement must see the segment as a patrol priority. The boundaries of the proposed corridor are manageable for the various “4-E” campaigns. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

8. Safety corridors may be recommended by ODOT, local agencies, citizens etc. Each safety corridor must have an active multi-disciplinary stakeholder group.

9. “4-E” Countermeasures Used: Annualovertime enforcement to the worst safety corridors in the state. Currently funding is low at $75,000 statewide. Educational events, billboards, table tents, handouts, public service announcements, etc. Enhanced enforcement and “Double Fines”. Annual review and updating of all traffic control devices. Updating safety corridor signing plans for each safety corridor as needed. Minor engineering fixes e.g. edge and center line rumble-strips, enhanced signing, radar reader boards, shoulder and access improvements etc. Construction project development as safety funds allow or incorporation of safety fixes into pavement preservation projects. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

10. Safety Corridor Reporting: Safety corridor data is reviewed annually and recommendations from headquarters staff are made to the Regions: Continue with TSD Funding, Continue without TSD Funding, and/or, Decommissioning. Regions then report their proposed action for each corridor. A Safety Corridor Annual Plan is developed and addresses the “4-E’s” of transportation safety and is implemented by the Region and the Stakeholder group and its local partners. Then, the Region reports what “4-E” strategies were accomplished in a document known as the Safety Corridor Plan Annual Review. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

13. Safety Corridor Decommissioning: Safety Corridors remain in place until their fatal & serious injury crash rate is at or below the statewide average for a similar type of roadway. At times safety corridors may remain in place once this decommissioning criterion is met due to corridor plans or construction projects that are not complete. This is negotiated with the Stakeholder Group. If the Stakeholder Group cannot agree on decommissioning of a safety corridor then it’s possible for a local agency to retain the corridor with their own funding & resources as long as the guideline requirements are met. Oregon Safety Corridor Program

14. Anne Holder, Roadway Safety Program Manager Oregon Department of Transportation (503) 986-4195 or anne.p.holder@state.or.us www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TS/roadwaysafety.shtml