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DRAFT 2010-2013 STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM <br />Railroad Crossing Safety <br />The Rail Division uses statewide data to <br />generate an accident prediction model at <br />public railroad-highway grade crossings. <br />This accident prediction model is used to <br />prioritize projects for safety improvements <br />utilizing federal funds. The division also re- <br />ceives very limited state funds that are used <br />on a discretionary basis for improving safety <br />at railroad-highway grade crossings. <br />For more information on Railroad Crossing <br />Safety, ca11503-986-4097, or go online: <br />http://www.ore on.gov/ODOT/RAIL/cross <br />afe.shtml. <br />Many safety improvements occur in con- <br />junction with highway preservation im- <br />provements. When reviewing preservation <br />projects for the STIP, the SIP category of <br />the highway segment that contains the pro- <br />ject is considered. Each year every five mile <br />segment of state highway is categorized by <br />the frequency of fatal and serious injury <br />(F&A) crashes: <br />0 F&A crashes = SIP category 1 <br />1-2 F&A crashes = SIP category 2 <br />3-5 F&A crashes = SIP category 3 <br />6-9 F&A crashes = SIP category 4 <br />10+ F&A crashes = SIP category 5 <br />Safe <br />The primary purpose of the Safety Program <br />is to identify where frequent and serious <br />crashes occur on the state highway system <br />and to apply cost-effective measures to re- <br />duce them. Projects are selected using the <br />Safety Management System that tracks the <br />location, frequency, and severity of crashes <br />and enables cost-benefit analysis for various <br />solutions and mitigations. <br />There is a statewide highway safety advisory <br />committee that works with the Safety Pro- <br />gram Manager to provide direction for the <br />program. The Oregon Highway Plan states <br />the goal in terms of a reduced traffic fatality <br />rate; with the goal being to reduce fatalities <br />to 0.99 per 100 million vehicle. miles trav- <br />eled by the year 2010. <br />An objective of the Safety Program is to tar- <br />get ° expenditures on highway safety where <br />they are most likely to reduce traffic fatali- <br />ties and serious injuries cost-effectively. <br />This is accomplished using two strategies <br />for determining need: one that targets dan- <br />gerous segments of the highway system us- <br />ing the Safety Investment Program (SIP) and <br />one that targets very specific locations using <br />the Safety Priority Index System (SPIS). <br />For pavement preservation projects on <br />roadway segments with a low frequency of <br />fatal and serious injury crashes, minimal <br />safety upgrades are included in the project <br />using preservation funds (including four <br />core safety upgrades: bridge rail retrofit and <br />new bridge rail; low guardrail; guard- <br />rail/bridge connections and guardrail blunt <br />ends; and Americans with Disabilities Act <br />(ADA) ramps). "Pave Mainly" is the focus <br />of preservation projects with low crash his- <br />tory. <br />Segments with greater crash frequency (SIP <br />category 4 or 5) receive consideration for <br />investment using Safety Program funds. The <br />proposed safety countermeasures are exam- <br />ined for effectiveness by a benefitlcost <br />analysis. Measures with positive benefit-to- <br />cost ratios greater than 1.0 may be incorpo- <br />rated into the project. <br />In addition to highway segment safety im- <br />provements, site-specific improvements also <br />are made. Possible locations are identified <br />using SPIS. Every year, each 1/10th mile <br />segment of state highway that has had either <br />one fatal or three other crashes in the last <br />three years receives a SPIS score. The top <br />5% of these sites are candidate locations for <br />safety improvements. These projects are <br />Page 22 <br />