Research Project Work Plan for QUANTIFYING SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF DRIVEWAYS ON STATE HIGHWAYS SPR10RF0720 Submitted by Ida van Schalkwyk Senior Assistant Research Professor School of Civil and Construction Engineering Corvallis, OR 97330 for Oregon Department of Transportation Research Unit 200 Hawthorne Ave. SE, Suite B-240 Salem, Oregon 97301-5192 September 2009
Research Project Work Plan for QUANTIFYING SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF DRIVEWAYS ON STATE HIGHWAYS 1.0 Identification 1.1 Organizations Sponsoring Research Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Research Unit 200 Hawthorne Ave. SE, Suite B-240 Salem, OR 97301-5192 Phone: (503) 986-2700 (If federal funds are used) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Washington, D.C. 20590 1.2 Principal Investigator(s) Ida van Schalkwyk, Senior Assistant Research Professor School of Civil and Construction Engineering Corvallis, OR 97330 Phone: 541-737-8874 1.3 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Members Marcus Berlin, Access Management Specialist, ODOT Technical Services Douglas Bish, Traffic Services Engineer, ODOT Technical Services David Boyd, Region Access Management Engineer, ODOT Region 4 Nick Fortey, Traffic Safety Engineer, FHWA Oregon Division Janet Lundeen, Traffic Investigator, ODOT Technical Services Tracy White (Research Proposer), Access Management Planner, ODOT Technical Services, ODOT Technical Services 1.4 Friends of the Committee Harold Lasley, P.E., Manager, Access Management Unit, ODOT Technical Services Marty Jensvold, P.E, ODOT Region 1 Access Management Engineer David Knitowski, P.E., ODOT Region 2 Access Management Engineer Ron Hughes, P.E., ODOT Region 3 Access Management Engineer Tom Kuhlman, P.E., ODOT Region 5 Access Management Engineer 1.5 Project Coordinator Mark Joerger, Senior Transportation Researcher, ODOT Research Office 1
1.6 Project Champion Doug Tindall, Deputy Director: ODOT Highway Division 2.0 Problem Statement Access management allows for the safe and efficient operation of highways and roadways.. In doing so, access management provides for designs, placement and operation which limit the conflicts, potential crashes and unnecessary stopping, slowing and confusion for the driver and they travel the roadway system. ODOT is well aware of the potential tradeoffs that additional conflicts and increased speed differential between vehicles in terms of safety. Consequently, ODOT access management rules and procedures incorporate crash risk considerations in development review and highway approach permit decisions. The available research that quantifies the crash potential at driveways is limited and much is not of high scientific quality. The need for this fundamental knowledge improvement is driven by a Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion that ODOT should have consistent proactive process to manage safety risks associated with unpermitted highway approaches. ODOT embarked on an inventory of statewide highway approaches to support highway project delivery and asset management. This inventory effort revealed that large numbers of highway approaches exist for which ODOT has no permit record. A policy directive is being developed by ODOT to establish a process to assess when an un-permitted approach is believed to be a significant safety concern and what action is appropriate to address the concern. This research intends to improve the assessment techniques by providing a better understanding of the relationship between highway access, conflict patterns and types of crashes. The project will support improved communication with the public and elected officials regarding the relationship between access, crashes and safety. The results will support improved strategic decision-making regarding access management within ODOT and support improved recognition and prioritization of safety concerns by staff involved in the state highway approach permitting process. 2.1 Background and Significance of Work The research on crash potential at driveways is limited and some of the methods used to determine the safety effects of driveway density, for example, are outdated. For example, Gluck, Levinson and Stover (1999) 1 used linear regression to develop safety performance functions that incorporates access density. Since this work, the use of Poisson and Negative Binomial regression became accepted as state of the practice in crash modeling. Several gaps also exist in the knowledge regarding the safety performance of driveways. In 1 Gluck, J., Levinson, H.S., and V. Stover, 1999. NCHRP Report 420 (1999) Impacts of Access Management Techniques, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C. 2
particular, the knowledge gap has predominated in the area of: design, volume, functional class, roadway geometry effects, the land use it serves, and proximity to intersections and other access points. In some cases, the underlying assumptions that some access management strategies are based on, such as the prohibition of accesses within the influence area of an intersection, have not been validated with crash data. This research will further the knowledge of the safety impact of access management at a national level. The results will strengthen the fundamental basis for good practice in access management while supporting crash-reducing and operational improvement strategies of ODOT. The research will be limited to the arterial state highway system and will focus only on safety related aspects of driveways and access management. 3.0 Objectives of the Study The objective of this research is two-fold. The first objective is to analyze and assess the key issues related to ODOT access management decisions for driveways. The second objective is to provide factual support for changes to existing ODOT policies, statues and rules to support reduce crash risk and improve operation on the state road network. 3.1 Benefits The research results will help the Department make decisions that have greater consistency are better informed, while maintaining an appropriate balance between crash risk and economic vitality during administration of ODOT s Access Management Program. It will provide appropriate support for the decisions made regarding specific cases. These actions will increase the Department ability to communicate with the public and elected officials about trade-offs and benefits of managing highway access. This research will provide a method for ODOT to evaluate the strengths and areas of opportunity within its current access management rules, procedures and practices and suggest potential changes with the intent of improved consistency, evaluation methods and documentation of current research. Specifically, the research will: Increase the Department s ability to quantify, balance and explain the crash risk involved in driveway related access management decisions. Improve access management understanding and support the development of practices to advance strategic integration of access inventory data and access management concepts into traffic safety analysis, policy and programs. Allow the Departmental staff to analyze and solve crash risk issues with increased consistency, particularly as it relates to prioritization and the effective use of resources toward mitigating the legal risks and safety concerns related to unpermitted approaches. 3
Allow ODOT to continue making informed decisions while maintaining an acceptable balance between safety and economic issues. Support the Department s strategic communication with the public and elected officials about the trade-offs between highway access and public safety. 4.0 Implementation The research results would provide input and factual scientific support for recommended changes and adjustments to statues and rules related to access management decisions and refinements to procedures to assess safety impacts.. Where appropriate, ODOT can incorporate safety performance functions (SPFs) or crash rates for particular intersection and segment types identified in the study into the online resources that are currently used by the region access management engineers during the highway approach permit process. The research team will present the research results to relevant committees and divisions within ODOT. These presentations could be to the Access Management Unit (AMU), and the Highway Safety Engineering Committee, as examples. In addition, the research team will prepare a final project report that summarizes the findings from the listed activities and prepare a paper for potential presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The research team s expectation is that the necessary ODOT persons (including a representative of the ODOT staff that administers the ODOT Access Management Program) will be involved with the TAC. This will increase the likelihood that the recommendations are adopted and implemented. It is likely that the findings will not only impact policies within Oregon but also those of local and other transportation agencies. 5.0 Research Tasks Each of the specific tasks to be performed in the research project is described in the following subsections. The research will include six distinct tasks including a literature review, a review of ODOT practice and needs, the development of a data collection plan, the data collection effort, data analysis, development of recommendations, and the preparation of a final report summarizing findings and recommendations. The sections that follow describe these individual tasks. Task #1 : Literature Review and Review of ODOT Practice and Needs The research team will conduct a comprehensive literature review of research related to the safety performance of driveways. The researchers will then review relevant ODOT policies, statues, and rules; and interview ODOT staff administering the ODOT Access Management Program. The purpose of the review and interviews is to identify the key critical issues related to crash risk at driveways. The task will also include discussions regarding the current assessments of risk, data collection possibilities and limitations, and 4
prioritization of study sites based on expert knowledge of the region staff. The results would support improved decision making as it relates to access management decisions. Based on the review results and interviews the team will recommend and present the findings from the literature review and the key issues that warrant further investigation to the ODOT Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The final selection of key issues will occur in consultation with the TAC. An interim report will be prepared to summarize and present the findings of the review. Time Frame: 3 months Responsible Party: Ida van Cost: $20,000 Deliverable: Interim report that presents the results from Task #1. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review the interim report and provide written suggestions, if any. Task # 2: Develop Data Collection Plan The research team will develop a data collection plan for the project. As part of this effort the research team will recommend a number of corridors on the ODOT state highway system that are suitable to support the analysis of key issues identified as part of Task #1. The research team will select the sample with careful consideration of needs and associated cost and will limited the scope to major arterials on the state network. Based on initial discussions with ODOT these locations are likely to include corridors with the following levels of development: urban areas, fringes of urban areas, connections between closely spaced urban areas, and rural areas. Other locations may include those necessary to estimate of the safety effect of driveways within close proximity of intersections and interchanges, driveway spacing, and signalized intersection spacing. The data collection plan will identify existing datasets developed or under development as part of other ODOT research projects, datasets developed as part of pilot ODOT asset management efforts, determine the necessary data elements, identify likely data sources and recommend strategies to collect data where existing datasets do not exist. The final selection of corridors and intersections for inclusion will be based on a preliminary assessment of typical highway approach requests received by ODOT to ensure that the results of the study can be readily applied by ODOT. Time Frame: 2 months Responsible Party: Ida van Cost: $2,500 Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that presents the data collection plan. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review the memorandum and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #3: Data Collection The research team will complete a data collection effort of the corridors and intersections selected in Task #2. This may include the use of electronic 5
resources such as TransGIS, aerial photography to reduce field-based data collection. The effort will include the geocoding of at least three years of crash data (2006 through 2008) for the selected locations. Time Frame: 9 months Responsible Party: Ida van Cost:$55,000 Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that summarizes the results from the data collection effort. The research team will also use the progress reports to keep the TAC informed of progress. TAC Decision/Action: None. Task #4: Data Analysis The researchers will perform a) a summary data analysis, showing comparative analysis for the safety performance of typical corridors and intersections; b) develop diagrams typical conflict patterns for each of the key location types (typical segments and intersections), and c) develop safety performance functions for these facilities where viable. Time Frame: 5 months Responsible Party: Ida van Cost: $25,000 Deliverable: The results from the data analysis effort will be presented to the TAC in the form of a presentation and will be included as part of the final report in Task #6. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review report and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #5: Develop Recommendations. The researchers will develop recommendations based on the findings of the project. This will include recommendations for the appropriate use of the SPFs that were developed as part of Task #4. Time Frame: 1 month Responsible Party: Ida van Cost: $2,500 Deliverable: The recommendations will be presented to the TAC in the form of a presentation and will be included as part of the final report in Task #6. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review report and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #6: Prepare Final Report The research team will prepare the final report materials and all deliverables. A draft will be prepared first for TAC review with sufficient time for comments and revisions. Given the interest in this topic, the research team will seek dissemination opportunities by means of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Time Frame: 4 months Responsible Party: [Name(s) of the parties and facilities they will use] Cost: $5,000 6
Deliverable: The research team will prepare the final report materials and all deliverables. A draft will be prepared first for TAC review with sufficient time for comments and revisions. Given the interest in this topic, the research team will seek dissemination opportunities by means of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review and provide written comments as appropriate. The research team will resubmit the final report with an incorporation of any TAC comments. The following matrix lists the task elements mentioned above: Task Task #1: Literature Review and Review of ODOT Practice and Needs The research team will conduct a comprehensive literature review of research related to the safety performance of driveways. The researchers will then review relevant ODOT policies, statues, and rules; and interview ODOT staff administering the ODOT Access Management Program. Time Frame: 3 months Deliverable: Interim report that presents the results from Task #1. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review report and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #2: Develop Data Collection Plan The research team will develop a data collection plan for the project. The research team will select the sample with careful consideration of needs and related cost and will be limited to major arterials on the state network. The data collection plan will identify existing datasets developed or under development as part of other ODOT research projects, datasets developed as part of pilot ODOT asset management efforts, determine the necessary data elements, identify likely data sources and recommend strategies to collect data where existing datasets do not exist. Time Frame: 2 months Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that presents the data collection plan. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review the memorandum and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #3: Data Collection The research team will complete a data collection effort of the corridors and intersections selected in Task #2. The effort will include the geocoding of at least three years of crash data (2006 through 2008) for the selected locations. Time Frame: 9 months Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that summarizes the results from the data collection effort. The research team will also use the progress reports to keep the TAC informed of progress. TAC Decision/Action: None. Responsible Party(ies) Ida van Ida van Ida van Cost $20k $2,500k Task #4: Data Analysis Ida van $25k $55k 7
Task The researchers will perform a summary data analysis, showing comparative analysis for the safety performance of typical corridors and intersections, develop diagrams typical conflict patterns for each of the key location types (typical segments and intersections), and develop safety performance functions for these facilities where viable. Time Frame: 5 months Deliverable: The results from the data analysis effort will be presented to the TAC in the form of a presentation and will be included as part of the final report in Task #6. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review report and provide written suggestions, if any. Task #5: Develop Recommendations The researchers will develop recommendations based on the findings of the project. This will include recommendations for the appropriate use of the SPFs that were developed as part of Task #4. Time Frame: 1 month Deliverable: The recommendations will be presented to the TAC in the form of a presentation and will be included as part of the final report in Task #6. TAC Decision/Action: Task #6: Prepare Final Report The research team will prepare the final report materials and all deliverables. A draft will be prepared first for TAC review with sufficient time for comments and revisions. Given the interest in this topic, the research team will seek dissemination opportunities by means of conference presentations and peerreviewed publications. Time Frame: 4 months Deliverable: The research team will prepare the final report materials and all deliverables. A draft will be prepared first for TAC review with sufficient time for comments and revisions. Given the interest in this topic, the research team will seek dissemination opportunities by means of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. TAC Decision/Action: The TAC will review and provide written comments as appropriate. The research team will resubmit the final report with an incorporation of any TAC comments. Responsible Party(ies) Ida van Ida van Cost $2,500k $5k All reports will be produced in the standard ODOT Research Group report format unless some other format is deemed to be more appropriate as a supplement to the ODOT format. 8
6.0 Time Schedule This section specifies the time line for the project, listing the task headings and showing monthly and/or quarterly time blocks in which each task will be accomplished. Also shown are interim and final deliverables. (The matrix below shows shaded cells and various symbols for designating task time lines and deliverables.) For the purposes of this proposal, the ODOT starting date has been assumed as October 1, 2009; however, this date is flexible and the schedule will be modified to reflect the actual contract start time at some future date. Project Tasks Task 1: Literature Review and Review of ODOT Practice and Needs Qtr 2 Oct - Dec * FY-0910 Qtr 3 Jan - Mar Qtr 4 Apr - Jun Qtr 1 July - Sep Qtr 2 Oct - Dec FY-1011 Qtr 3 Jan - Mar Qtr 4 Apr - Jun Deliverable: Interim report Task 2: Develop Data Collection Plan * Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that presents the data collection plan Task 3: Data Collection * Deliverable: A memorandum to the TAC that summarizes the results from the data collection effort. Task 4: Data Analysis * Deliverable: The results from the data analysis effort will be presented to the TAC in the form of a presentation and will be included as part of the final report in Task #6. Task 5: Develop Recommendations * Deliverable: Presentation to the TAC and inclusion into the final report in Task #6. Task 6: Prepare Final Report * * Deliverable: Draft and Final Report *Deliverables TAC Meetings 9
7.0 Budget Estimate An itemized budget for the project is included here, showing expenditures for each item by fiscal year and in total. FY--0910 FY--1011 Total Personnel Ida van Schalkwyk, OSU $ 23,074.56 $ 12,130.97 $ 35,205.53 Graduate Students $ 10,531.32 $ 4,965.66 $ 15,496.98 Undergraduate Students $ - $ - $ - Total Salaries $ 33,605.88 $ 17,096.63 $ 50,702.51 Fringe Benefits Faculty $ 8,076.10 $ 4,245.84 $ 12,321.94 Graduate Student $ 1,241.00 $ 498.00 $ 1,739.00 Undergraduate Students $ - $ - $ - Total Fringe Benefits $ 9,317.10 $ 4,743.84 $ 14,060.94 Total Personnel Costs $ 42,922.98 $ 21,840.47 $ 64,763.44 Travel $ 1,348.67 $ 195.28 $ 1,543.94 Services and Supplies $ 825.00 $ 820.39 $ 1,645.39 Other Expenses $ 5,000.00 $ - $ 5,000.00 Student Tuition $ 6,264.00 $ - $ 6,264.00 Total Direct Costs $ 56,359.64 $ 22,855.13 $ 79,214.77 Indirect Costs (42.2% assumed) $ 21,140.36 $ 9,644.87 $ 30,785.23 Total Project Costs $ 77,500.00 $ 32,500.00 $ 110,000.00 10