A Quantitative Assessment Method for System Safety & Efficiency

In response to an emphasis on safety in the most recent federal transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU), as well as an emphasis on data-driven decision making, a method for quantitatively assessing safety and mobility on the Duluth-Superior road network was developed by staff at the Metropolitan Interstate Council (MIC). This method was also developed in support of a larger regional effort to focus limited financial resources on higher-priority needs and has been designed to help identify and prioritize spot locations or road segments as locations of concern within the road network. The method involves using a series of simple calculations in lieu of more complicated and technical methods that may be cost-prohibitive to modest-sized metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). The performance values derived from these calculations are indexed and summed to produce composite scores that represent a measure of priority among all the spot locations or road segments analyzed. Staff at the MIC perform this assessment biennially and time it to produce findings as area jurisdictions begin their process of project development for the annual Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Findings of the assessment are presented to local planning and engineering staffs in an effort to bring to their attention potential problems that may exist in their jurisdictions and to provide them with some additional quantitative justification when applying for different funding options to address needed improvements.