Road Safety Audit Report: Interstate 516 Interstate 516 from Veterans Pkwy to Montgomery St. (State Route 420 from Veterans Pkwy to City Street 115207)
Table of Contents Introduction Road Safety Audit Team Corridor Recommendations Conclusion Appendix: Agenda Recommendations at a Glance 2
Introduction This report documents a Road Safety Audit (RSA) conducted on Interstate 516 from Veterans Pkwy to Montgomery St. The audit occurred over the course of two days, May 6th thru 7th, in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia. An RSA is a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road, corridor or intersection by an independent audit team. The goal of an RSA is to qualitatively estimate and report on potential road safety issues and identify opportunities for improvements in safety for all road users. The RSA was led by the Georgia Department of Transportation s (GDOT s) Office of Traffic Operations, while being comprised of members from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), City of Savannah, and the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD). The RSA was requested on March 04, 2013 by the District Traffic Engineer on behalf of the City of Savannah. The request was made in an attempt to include the RSA findings as the first initiative to eliminate the occurrences of fatal and or severe crashes. The 6.49 mile urban principal arterial corridor examined in this RSA is a section of Interstate 516 (SR 421) from Veterans Pkwy to Montgomery St. (CS115207). Interstate 516 serves as a spur route for Interstate 16, bypassing Savannah to the west spurring into Garden City to the northwest of the city. This report provides information on issues identified by the audit team and deemed relevant to the goal of this RSA; identifying opportunities to improve road safety for all road users within the study area. Where appropriate, recommendations are included. Within this report, the findings and recommendations of the audit team are organized into three groups, as follows: Short term recommendations (S) measures to be implemented within one to three months of the final audit report (typically low cost, needing minimal design) Intermediate recommendations (I) measures solutions to be implemented within ten to twenty-four months of the final audit report (typically low to moderate cost, but needing more design than a short term recommendation) Long term recommendations (L) possible improvements to be implemented in a long-term action Road Safety Audit Team Michael D. Turpeau Jr. (moderator) GDOT Landon Perry Paul DeNard Rick Hardenbrook Robert McCall Brad Saxon Steve Price Greg Morris Heather Fish Michele Strickland Ginni Fandrich Terry Shook Lamar McCoy GDOT GDOT GDOT GDOT GDOT GDOT FHWA City of Savannah City of Savannah SCMPD SCMPD SCMPD 3
Audit Findings #1 Corridor Recommendations Along the Interstate 516 corridor some advance warning signs, guidance signs, etc., have lost their reflectivity. Audit Recommendations (S) Replace signs that have lost reflectivity along the I-516 corridor GDOT s District 5 will work in coordination with local government to replace/install necessary signs along GDOT and locally owned right-ofway. R2-1(48)(55) sign has lost much of its reflectivity and is barely visible Audit Findings #2 Along the Westbound exit ramp of Exit #2 (Veterans Parkway) of Interstate 516 the chevrons appear undersized, reflectivity seems to have diminished, and the sign spacing appears inadequate. The Audit Recommendations (S) Conduct a sign inventory taken of the corridor to determine if signs need to be replaced and or relocated. GDOT s District 5 will replace/relocate all necessary chevron signs along the Interstate 516 westbound off -ramp of exit #2. W1-8R(24) signs have lost much of there reflectivity and are too small for the design speed and degree of the curve. 4
Audit Findings #3 Corridor Recommendations cont. Vehicles entering the eastbound lanes of Interstate 516 from Veterans Pkwy routinely cross the theoretical gore area. Audit Recommendations (S) Restripe the theoretical gore area to adhere to the Georgia Department of Transportation detail T-14. GDOT s District 5 will submit a maintenance request to have the gore area restriped. Gore area striping is incomplete. Audit Findings #4 Based on a location speed study, many of the vehicles traveling along the Veterans Park Interchange were traveling at a high rate of speed which exceeded the posted speed limit. Audit Recommendations (S) Restripe the interchange with optical speed bars to aid in the reduction of speed throughout the interchange. GDOT s District 5 will submit a maintenance request to have the areas delineated below with optical speed These interchange ramps are being taken at a high rate of speed resulting in loss of vehicle control. 5
Audit Findings #5 Corridor Recommendations cont. Drainage structures appeared to be inundated with debris, prohibiting positive flow. Audit Recommendations #1 (S) Increase the frequency of the routine maintenance schedule for cleaning drainage structures performed throughout the year. GDOT s District 5 will submit and adhere to a maintenance schedule for drainage structures along the corridor. Drainage structure clogged with debris The 5 X 5 box culvert appears to be blocked with debris causing water to nearly overtop the roadway. The 1033D drainage structure is inundated causing the spread to encroach past 1/2 of the lane width. 6
Audit Findings #6 Corridor Recommendations cont. Several locations along the corridor possess front slopes that are non-traversable or recoverable and contain dangerous obstacles within the clear zone. Audit Recommendations (S/I) Install guardrail in all locations where clear-zone is not met based on the policies set by the America Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Roadside Design Guide (AASHTO). GDOT s District 5 will submit a work order or maintenance request to have guardrail placed on outside shoulders near areas deemed hazardous to roadway users. Audit Findings #7 The double-box culvert lies within recommended clear zone distance of the roadway. Crash data obtained from local and state agencies indicate a large number of crashes occurring due to drivers losing control along curves throughout the Veterans Parkway/I-516 interchange. Audit Recommendations (I) Place High Friction Surface Course treatment in the areas delineated below. GDOT s District 5 will submit a maintenance request to have the high friction surface course placed on the roadway. These interchange ramps were being taken at high rate of speed. Road Safety Audit team calculating the roadway s coefficient of friction. 7
Audit Findings #8 Corridor Recommendations cont. The surface along Interstate 516 is worn substantially and the aggregate appears to be polished. Audit Recommendations (I) Perform the diamond grinding process along the roadway surface of Interstate 516 from MP 0.00 to MP 1.95. GDOT s District 5 will submit a maintenance request to have the aforementioned roadway sections of Interstate 516 diamond grinded. Roadway surface of Interstate 516 8
Audit Findings #9 Corridor Recommendations cont. The front slope behind the guardrail of the eastbound travel lane s shoulder that has begun to wash out. Audit Recommendations (I) Place asphalt curb and appropriate drainage facilities behind guardrail posts to prevent washout of front slope. GDOT s District 5 will submit a maintenance request to have roadway typical section augmented to reflect the aforementioned recommendation. Guardrail along the shoulder of the eastbound lane of Interstate 516. 9
Audit Findings #10 Corridor Recommendations cont. Along the Interstate 516 corridor there have been several crashes that have launched vehicles into the opposing lanes of traffic. Audit Recommendations (L) Remove the curb and gutter section along with all subsequent drainage structures from the I-516 area from MP 0.00 to MP 1.95. Replace curb and gutter section with type 20,21, and 22 concrete barriers along the inside shoulder of the roadway. Replace all 1033D drainage structures with suitable drainage structures. GDOT s Office of Traffic Operations will reevaluate the crashes at this location after all short and intermediate recommendations have been implemented and determine the need to program a project at a later date. Raised concrete median with 1033D drainage structure located along Interstate 516. 10
Audit Findings #11 Corridor Recommendations cont. The auxiliary lane is not long enough to facilitate a proper and an efficient merge with traffic in the eastbound lane of Interstate 516. Audit Recommendations (L) Extend the auxiliary of the eastbound Exit #2 entrance ramp to Interstate 516. Auxiliary lane of the Veterans Parkway entrance ramp into Interstate 516. GDOT s Office of Traffic Operations will reevaluate the crashes at this location after all short and intermediate recommendations have been implemented and determine the need to program a project at a later date. 11
Audit Findings #12 Corridor Recommendations cont. Fluctuating traffic volumes often caused capacity to diminish along the Interstate 516 corridor, causing rear end crashes. Audit Recommendations (L) Have cameras linked to an intelligent transportation system (ITS) installed along the Interstate 516 corridor to communicate existing field conditions to drivers and personnel at the Traffic Control Center. The grade separated intersection of Interstate 516 and Veterans Pkwy, where field studies documented diminished capacity. After all short term and intermediate term audit recommendations have been completed, and the need to proceed with the above mentioned recommendation has been justified, GDOT s Office of Traffic Operations will work in coordination with the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission to formulate a solution that improves capacity and coincides with the CORE Connections 2035 Framework Mobility Plan. 12
Conclusion The RSA team developed several countermeasures to improve safety along the corridor. The recommendations were organized into short term, intermediate and long term groups. The short term recommendations should be easily accomplished, as none of the recommendations seem high-cost or controversial. The intermediate term recommendations increase in terms of complexity and the time frame for completion is from 10 to 24 months. Long term recommendations require further investigation on behalf of GDOT and other participating agencies in order to determine the need to program a project at a later date. This report formally summarizes the findings and recommendations of the audit team. The audit team suggests that the recommendations stated in this report be implemented as resources become available. The responsible agency(s) should document any decisions to modify or eliminate recommendations based on engineering judgment or lack of feasibility. 13
Appendix 14
Tuesday (10:00 AM 10:00 PM) Road Safety Audit Interstate 516 from Veterans Pkwy to Montgomery St. (State Route 420 from Veterans Pkwy to City Street 115207) Agenda Tuesday April 17 th Wednesday April 18 th Site Introduction (10:00 am 11:30 am) Introduce study area Experiences from the group Day Site Visit #1 (approx. 1:00 pm approx. 3:00 pm) Riding & Walking site Day Site Visit #2 (approx. 5:00 pm approx. 6:00 pm) Peak Hour Observation Night Site Visit (approx. 9:00 pm approx. 10:00 pm) Tuesday (9:00 AM 11:30 PM) Early Morning Site Visit (5:00 am approx. 8:30 am) Site Visits Discussion Review each Site Visit (notes, pictures, etc.) Review high crash locations Experiences from the group Identify & prioritize safety concerns Identify safety alternatives Short Term Intermediate Long Term Mitigate safety alternatives Conclusions Follow Up Send draft report to RSA team members Allow 1 week for report review and comments Revise report as needed Send out official report to all stake holders Implement alternatives as needed 15
Audit Finding Recommendation Time Frame Page #1 Sign replacement along I 516 Short Term GDOT's District 5 4 #2 Conduct a sign inventory Short Term GDOT's District 5 4 #3 Restripe the theoretical gore area Short Term GDOT's District 5 5 #4 Restripe the interchange with optical speed bars Short Term GDOT's District 5 5 #5 Increase routine maintenance schedule for drainage structures Short Term GDOT's District 5 6 #6 Install guardrail Intermediate GDOT's District 5 7 #7 Install High Friction Surface Course Treatment Intermediate GDOT's District 5 7 #8 Perform diamond grinding along I 516 Intermediate GDOT's District 5 8 #9 Place asphalt curb and drainage structures behind guardrail posts Intermediate GDOT's District 5 9 #10 Replace curb and gutter section with type 20, 21, and 22 concrete barriers along the inside shoulder Long Term GDOT's Traffic Operations 10 #11 Extend the eastbound auxiliary lane of Exit #2 of I 516 Long Term GDOT's Traffic Operations 11 #12 Have ITS cameras placed on I 516 Long Term GDOT's Traffic Operations 12 16