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Implementation
The purpose of Implementation is to move recommendations (resulting from investigations) from concept to reality. When recommendations are implemented in CLEAR Safety they are referred to as safety "improvements" which will hopefully result in a reduction in crashes, injuries and fatalities. Recommendations can be classified into one of three general categories:
•Maintenance Activities - This implementation type includes relatively low cost, routine, non-regulatory measures. There are two major categories of maintenance activites.
•Routine non-regulatory measures - These are generally implemented by regional maintenance forces. Examples of routine, non-regulatory maintenance activities include: installation, replacement or moving signs; removal of vegetation to improve sight distance; application of pavement markings, and resurfacing or pavement grooving.
•Traffic Control Improvements - Maintenance activities can also include traffic control improvements which typically involve a change in traffic regulations such as installation or modification of signs/signals. These are generally implemented by regional maintenance forces, regional signal crews, or private contractors depending on the nature of the improvement and the workforce available. When a change in traffic regulations is involved, the Traffic and Safety Division Director submits official orders to the Secretary of State, who files the order and notifies the Main Office to proceed. The Regional Traffic Engineer is then informed of the filing and, in cases of signing or pavement marking changes, prepares a work order and forwards it for execution by the appropriate Resident Engineer.
•Capital Projects - Capital projects are appropriate when low-cost projects have been unable or are unlikely to resolve an underlying safety problem, a capital project is considered.Due to the larger scope and cost, capital projects are subject to more rigorous review and documentation as well as going through the project development process. The exact nature of the process depends on various factors, including: Source of funding and anticipated cost-effectiveness. If the benefit-cost ratio is less than 1.0, the project requires further justification through a Project Initiation Request (PIR). In addition to the benefit cost analysis, extensive project and plan reviews and approvals are required within the Department to assure appropriate use of funds. If the benefit-cost ratio is 1.0 or greater, the project is streamlined to expedite project development. This involves a Project Notification Form (PNF), where the Regional Director has the authority to place the project on the work program without Main Office review, subject to the availability of funds. If the project uses federal funds, it may still be necessary to obtain FHWA approval through the main office.
•Initiatives - Other initiatives typically include enforcement and education efforts. Implementation of "other" initiatives usually involves correspondence and follow-up. For example, this might involve a request for selective enforcement by State Police or informing jurisdictions of findings related to non-State highways. This could also involve requests for additional information from other Department groups such as requests for skid tests and special traffic counts. For these types of tests and surveys, the Regional Traffic Engineer would decide whether to implement follow-up measures such as improving skid resistance or modifying traffic control devices based on the results.
The diagram below provides a high-level overview of the implementation work flow within CLEAR Safety. It should be noted that each process in a green shaded box are There are three main branches to the work flow for each of the three implementation types (or improvements) described above. Each specific work flow is discussed in detail in subsequent sections. As noted at the top of the work flow, after an investigation results in one or more recommendations, the implementation process begins with assigning an implementation type to a recommendation.
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