| Title | California Demonstration Project: Safety Improvements on Mountain Ranch Road in Calaveras County |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 78855 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Rao, Shreenath; Sadasivam, Suri; Mallela, Jagannath |
| Corporate Creator | Applied Research Associates, Inc. |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure; California. Department of Transportation |
| Publisher | United States. Federal Highway Administration |
| Publication Date | 20130601 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, Calaveras County, CA, was awarded a $300,000 grant to conduct a road safety audit (RSA), develop plans and specifications, and perform safety improvements on Mountain Ranch Road east of San Andreas. The key innovation was the addition of a 2-inch hot-mix asphalt overlay with a Safety EdgeSM to an approximately 2.1-mile (mi) segment of Mountain Ranch Road (Boo Street to Upper Michel Road) that needed it. The county had identified it as area with enough right-of-way and/or shoulder room to properly construct the Safety Edge (easterly segment). The second safety component was the installation of highly retroreflective striping on top of centerline rumble strips to help keep drivers from drifting into the adjacent lane and oncoming traffic (easterly, center, and westerly segments). The third safety component was backing and/or extending the aggregate base shoulders along segments of the overlaid section that required it for the addition of the Safety Edge and segments that did not get the Safety Edge treatment but would benefit from an improved or widened shoulder (easterly and westerly segments). The fourth safety component was the installation of new metal beam guardrail (MBGR) along a 1.60-mi segment of Mountain Ranch Road. The improvements include new MBGR beginning at the intersection of Rocky Road and terminating at the western intersection of Michel Road (westerly segment). In addition to the construction components, planning and evaluation procedures, including an RSA, and a project information campaign were implemented to maximize the effectiveness of this project. The project was a great success, and the safety improvements are expected to substantially reduce the crash and fatality rates on Mountain Ranch Road. A detailed economic analysis considering all costs associated with building the as constructed section versus the baseline section and the economic benefits from improved safety over a 10-year period showed substantial cost benefits for the as-constructed project. The life cycle cost analysis showed a total savings of $7,889,157.73 for the as-constructed case compared to the baseline case. |
| Rosap ID | dot:54365 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/54365 |
| TRT Terms | Guardrails; Safety audits; Highway safety; Crashes; Paving |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1584285 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/78000/78800/78855/ca_safety_improvement_calaveras_county.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |