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| Traffic Safety Unit - Programs |
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The purpose of the North Carolina Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is to provide a continuous and systematic process that identifies reviews and addresses specific traffic safety concerns throughout the state. The program is structured in several distinct phases:
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- A system of safety warrants is developed to identify locations that are possibly deficient.
- Locations that meet warrant criteria are categorized as potentially hazardous (PH) locations.
- Detailed crash analyses are performed on the PH locations with the more severe and correctable crash patterns.
- The Regional Traffic Engineering staff performs engineering field investigations.
- The Regional Traffic Engineering staff utilizes Benefit: Cost studies and other tools to develop safety recommendations.
- Depending on the cost and nature of the countermeasures, the investigations may result in requesting Division maintenance forces to make adjustments or repairs, developing Spot Safety projects, developing Hazard Elimination projects, making adjustments to current TIP project plans or utilizing other funding sources to initiate countermeasures.
- Selected projects are evaluated to determine the effectiveness of countermeasures.
The ultimate goal of the HSIP is to reduce the number of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities by reducing the potential for and the severity of these incidents on public roadways.
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| 2009 HSIP PH Location Reports |
| HSIP Overviews |
| 2009 HSIP Warrants |
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The Spot Safety Program is used to develop smaller improvement projects to address safety, potential safety, and operational issues. The program is funded with state funds and currently receives approximately $9 million per state fiscal year. Other monetary sources (such as Small Construction or Contingency funds) can assist in funding Spot Safety projects, however, the maximum allowable contribution of Spot Safety funds per project is $250,000. A Safety Oversight Committee (SOC) reviews and recommends Spot Safety projects to the Board of Transportation (BOT) for approval and funding. Criteria used by the SOC to select projects for recommendation to the BOT include, but are not limited to, the frequency of correctable crashes, severity of crashes, delay, congestion, number of signal warrants met, effect on pedestrians and schools, division and region priorities, and public interest.
Active Spot Safety Projects
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The Hazard Elimination Program is used to develop larger improvement projects to address safety and potential safety issues. The program is funded with 90% federal funds and 10% state funds. The cost of Hazard Elimination Program projects typically ranges between $400,000 and $1 million. A Safety Oversight Committee (SOC) reviews and recommends Hazard Elimination projects to the Board of Transportation (BOT) for approval and funding. These projects are prioritized for funding according to a safety benefit to cost (B/C) ratio, with the safety benefit being based on crash reduction. Once approved and funded by the BOT, these projects become part of the department's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
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Traffic ordinances include the maintenance and revision of speed zones, no parking zones, turning prohibitions, truck routes, route changes, etc. The State Traffic Engineer is the approving authority for traffic ordinances, and the approval of specific ordinances is based on traffic engineering studies and is in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes.
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Requests from trucking industries for "reasonable access" of STAA dimensioned vehicles (twin-trailers and 53 foot long trailers) between a specific terminal and the National Truck Network (NTN - a network of highway routes within the state designated for STAA dimensioned vehicles use) are coordinated by TSIS for investigation by the regional traffic engineering offices, municipal officials, and the State Highway Patrol. If approved, the route may be used by any STAA dimensioned vehicles traveling from the NTN to the specified terminal. The State Traffic Engineer is the approving/disapproving authority. However, if no response is issued within 90 days of receipt of the request, then the request for reasonable access is automatically approved.
Requests for "designation" of a STAA route between two NTN routes is coordinated by TSIS for investigation by the same groups listed above as well as the State Highway Administrator, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, the Board of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration. The Board of Transportation is the approving authority, and the approval process has no specified time limit. If approved, the route may be used by any STAA dimensioned vehicle. Both types of route requests give citizens, news media, and others a chance to voice their opinions and concerns. See the North Carolina General Statutes (20-115.1 and 20-116) and the North Carolina Administrative Code (19A NCAC 02E.0426) for more detailed information. Please contact Lisa Avery at (919)773-2893 or lavery@ncdot.gov if you have any questions.
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The Traffic Studies and Volumes Program provides traffic counts, turning movements, and other traffic engineering information for locations across the state through the use of limited service agreements (LSA) with private engineering firms (PEF). These counts and traffic studies generally include motor vehicle, truck, and pedestrian information, but may also include other site-specific data. The results of these counts and studies are typically used for traffic signal warrant analyses and other traffic safety analyses.
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Mileposting is the process of determining the location of features on a road, in miles, from the beginning of the road, and is a fundamental requirement of the Traffic Engineering and Accident Analysis System (TEAAS) necessary for crash studies and analyses, crash rates, and ordinance overlap checks. Mileposts are based on information in NCDOT's Universe File (MLI1) maintained by the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit, and are used to determine where crashes occurred, or where ordinances are located, in relation to roadway features. Features requiring mileposts are intersections and interchanges, at-grade railroad crossings, mile markers, structures (that carry the road), and political boundaries (municipal, county, and state lines).
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NC DOT
NC DOH
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