Research notes : are safety corridors really safe? Evaluation of the corridor safety improvement program.

NHTSA · 1998 · ROSA P / Oregon. Dept. of Transportation. Research Unit

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Summary

This 1998 research note from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) evaluates the effectiveness of the Corridor Safety Improvement Program. The study addresses the significant safety challenges associated with free-access, high-volume arterial highways adjacent to commercial strip developments, where approximately half of nationwide fatalities and 30 percent of injuries occur. Because converting these corridors into expressways is often financially, environmentally, or socially prohibitive, ODOT implemented a multi-disciplinary approach integrating highway improvements, driver behavior initiatives, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services. The program utilized various measures, including variable message signs, oversized speed signs, enhanced intersection illumination, stepped-up enforcement, and community outreach. To assess the program’s impact, ODOT collaborated with the Transportation Research Institute at Oregon State University to conduct a literature review and develop a survey. The evaluation focused on two specific highway segments: Oregon Route 34 between Corvallis and Interstate 5, and Oregon Route 22 west of Salem, extending from Oregon Route 99W to the Willamette River. The primary data source for this evaluation was a survey of over 1,800 residents living in communities along these corridors, who provided their perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the safety improvement efforts. The results indicated that residents perceived the Safety Improvement Program as successful. Survey respondents reported that the implemented changes increased driver awareness of surrounding events, which they believed contributed to an overall increase in corridor safety. Specifically, the majority of respondents indicated that safety had increased on both Oregon Route 22 and Oregon Route 34, with minimal reports of decreased safety or no change. Based on the survey findings, participants suggested several considerations for further improving high-risk corridors. These recommendations included increasing traffic enforcement levels, dividing highways to limit access points, providing acceleration and deceleration lanes at major access points, and limiting the use of traffic signals. For the specific corridors studied, respondents suggested extending reduced speed zones and lowering speeds at dangerous intersections. The report notes that ODOT had 12 other active safety projects at the time and proposed an additional study to review enforcement patterns, speed studies, and accident histories to further evaluate the program’s impact on motorist behavior.

Key finding

A majority of more than 1,800 surveyed corridor residents reported that the safety improvements increased driver awareness and overall corridor safety on Oregon Routes 22 and 34.

Methodology

survey

Provenance

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Topics

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• regulatory evaluation
• perceptual countermeasures

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes