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Prioritizing Safety in the Transportation Improvement Program - Michigan

Original publication: SHSP Implementation Process Model, Supplement Number 1 – Case Studies; FHWA-SA-10-025; 2010 (PDF, 1MB)

Publication Year: 2010


Key Accomplishments

  • Increased use of safety as a factor in prioritizing TIP projects.
  • Achieved better understanding of safety problems through data analysis in MPO areas.
  • Increased number of local safety projects proposed.

While safety is required in transportation planning and is frequently stated as a planning goal, often safety issues are not given sufficient weight in the project selection process to ensure safety projects are advanced into the programming phase. To increase the number of safety projects programmed, several Michigan metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) have developed prioritization processes that explicitly consider safety.

MPO project prioritization often takes the form of weighting project factors using a point system. Incorporating safety into the weighting process can be achieved through allocating a certain number of points to safety, which may vary depending on whether a project is categorized as capacity, preservation, or non-motorized. For example, one MPO allocated up to 20 points out of a possible 100 to safety-related factors for preservation projects and 20 points out of 125 points for capacity projects. Safety factors considered included separation of non-motorized modes from vehicles, crash rates, and whether a project includes countermeasures such as signs and striping to reduce crashes and severity.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning funds a consultant to analyze safety data and identify hazardous locations in most of the MPO planning areas. As part of the project prioritization process, several MPOs consider whether a project addresses a hazardous location included in the safety analysis.

Results

Through the SHSP process, awareness of the Michigan safety goal among MPOs has increased. The number of requests for local safety funds has increased, as well as the funding available for such projects.

Contact:
Marsha Small
Manager, Statewide Transportation Planning
Michigan DOT
517-373-9054
smallm@michigan.gov

Publication Year: 2010

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