New County Road Safety Program | Video

Evan Kruegel | 1/30/2013

Over 40 percent of severe crashes statewide happen on county roads in oil impacted areas, so the Department of Transportation is unveiling a new county roads safety program. "That 40 percent is a significant number, so we wanted to come up with a program where we could address low cost safety counter-measures that would be aimed at trying to reduce and eliminate severe crashes,” said NDDOT Safety Director Mark Nelson.

The program will give up to $10 million to 17 different counties in the western half of the state. That money can then be used in a number of different ways.

"We`ll be looking at curve chevrons to warn a driver that they`re approaching a curve, we`re looking at larger regulatory and warning signs making sure the reflectivity is such that they`ll show up during the night and during the day, potentially the intersection warning rumble strips when you`re approaching an intersection where you`ll have to stop, and then maybe the pavement markings, like shoulder markings and center line markings."

Ten million dollars doesn`t go far when building new roads, but it`s a lot of money when dealing with smaller projects.

"I think what we`re trying to do is figure out how can we best spend the money and make the biggest impact on safety in all 17 counties, and I think these low cost countermeasures are the solution. We can get a lot of coverage and a lot of areas increased safety benefits for this amount of money", says Nelson.

Placing warning chevrons throughout one large curve costs around $3,000, so officials hope the $10 million will go a long way in improving safety on county roads.

"My division is responsible for looking at the crashes and the causation factors for crashes and while a lot of the issues we have on our highways are behavioral, I know there are engineering things that can be done to make a significant impact. I think these low cost countermeasures on a wide spread basis have the potential to make a big difference."

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