Publication Year:
Original publication: National Roadway Safety Awards: Noteworthy Practices Guide; 2011
Description of Practice
An Iowa State University study found that a pavement edge drop-off may have been a contributing factor in approximately 18% of rural run-off-the-road crashes on paved roadways with unpaved shoulders. They also found that pavement edge drop-off-related crashes were twice as likely to result in fatalities as other crash types on similar roadways. Safety Edge℠ was installed on a 2.7 mile stretch of roadway which had been previously identified as a “High Risk Rural Road” and the agency evaluated the constructability, quality, and performance of the project.
Key Accomplishments and Results:
- Installation of 6-inch unbonded Portland cement concrete (PCC) overlay placed of an existing 6-inch PCC pavement. Overlay included two 11-foot lanes with tied 2-foot shoulders plus a 9-inch wide, 30-degree sloped Safety Edge℠ in both eastbound and westbound directions.
- Crash reduction factors indicate that the use of Safety Edge℠ has the potential to reduce crashes by 5.7 percent and may provide additional pavement edge stability improving overall pavement life.
Contacts
Mike McClain
Jones County Secondary Roads Department
319-462-3785
engineer@co.jones.ia.us
Steve Gannon
Linn County Secondary Roads Department
319-892-6400
Steve.Gannon@linncounty.org