Ken Kochevar FHWA Division Office Safety and Design Team Leader Ph: (916) The Safety Edge What is it? How does it work? What are the benefits? Ken Kochevar Safety and Design Team Leader National Programs FHWA Division Office Ph: (916) Mehdi Parvini Sr. Pavement Engineer Office of Pavement Engineering & Specification Development Caltrans Pavement Management Program Ph:(916)

2 MAKING PAVEMENTS SAFER and MORE DURABLE

3 36,700 Fatal Crashes per Year Average – Source: FARS Average 40,409 Annual Fatalities

Fatal Crashes (Based on FARS) 2008 Fatal Crashes (Based on FARS) 34,017 U.S. Fatal Crashes 17,818 U.S. Roadway Departures

5 59 people will die in a roadway departure crash in the United States today. 1 Fatality Every 24 minutes

6 13,242 Roadway Departure Fatalities on Two Lane Undivided Source: 2008 FARS Data Focused Solution: Low cost Two Lane roadways Roadway Departure

7 Are Drop-offs a Problem? Vehicle Re-entry

8  Head-on  Roll Over  Opposite Side  Roadside Hazard

9 Was the drop-off the cause?

10 Clip of TTI drop off road test:

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13 Location of Drop-offs 1. Horizontal Curves 2. Near Mailboxes 3. Turnouts 4. Shaded Areas 5. Eroded Areas (Drainage) 6. Asphalt Pavement Overlay

14 Horizontal Curves

15 Mail Boxes

16 Shaded Areas Sunlight = Vegetation

17 Existing 5” Drop-off = Asphalt Overlay 2” Asphalt Overlay + Extreme Unsafe Condition

18 The Safety Edge: A Practical Solution

19 The Hardware GDOT Version IVGDOT Version V

20 End Gate Springs

21 The Hardware Trans Tech Shoulder Wedge Maker TM Advant-Edge TM

22 Key Features Self Adjusting Spring ½” Radius Leading Edge 45 0 Compound Angle 30 0 Forming Edge

23 Clip of safety shoe being installed

24 30 o - 35 o Line Depicts extension of Pavement Surface Line depicts a plane parallel to Pavement Surface from the toe of the wedge surface

25 Construction  Clip Shoulders  Construct Overlay  Pull Shoulders Flush  No Effect on Production  Minimal Monitoring  12.5 mm or 9.5 mm SP

26 Clip of paving with Safety Edge Clip of paving without Safety Edge

27 Existing pavement edge Breakpoint on wedge Toe of wedge New graded shoulder

28 Location of the existing pavement edge under overlay Breakpoint on wedge Toe of wedge

29 Iowa PCCP Safety Edge

30 Increased Edge Compaction ? With Safety Edge Without Safety Edge

31 Edge Compaction Condition After One Year In-Service Safety Edge No Safety Edge Six

32 Durability

33 Benefits of A Safe Edge  Temporary safety benefit during construction  Permanent Solution for future drop-off re-emergence  Reduce tort liability – Providing “Due Care”  Minimal hardware, labor, or material costs  Increased Pavement Edge durability

34 Safety Edge Implementation Standard Practice States without activity State Evaluating Safety Edge Projects Built Pool-fund States

Every Day Counts (EDC) Initiative 35 Initiated Spring of 2010 EDC designed to identify and deploy innovation Shortening Project Delivery Enhancing Safety of our Roadways Improving Environmental Sustainability Safety Edge: 1 of 5 solutions Goal: 40 states adopting Safety Edge by Dec. 2011

36 What can FHWA offer ?  demo projects for : Free loaner equipment Technical assistance Project documentation Promotional Material Specifications Tech Drawings

Safety Edge Detail HMA/PCC Lane or Shoulder Aggregate Shoulder or Shoulder Backing Safety Edge Angle Original Width Variable Width for Safety Edge Existing Lane or Shoulder Existing Shoulder or Shoulder Backing

Edge drop off height Type of highway (undivided, number of lanes) Shoulder width Design speed Curve Rumble strip Ditch/guard rail at the edge Factors that Impact the Effectiveness of the Safety Edge

Criteria for Using Safety Edge All new and rehabilitation pavement projects that create pavement edge drop off more that 0.15 ft For demonstration projects: Further crash data analysis is underway to come up with most efficient locations for the safety edge For subsequent projects:

Safety Edge Specification The contractor shall attach a device to the screed of the paver that confines the material at the end gate and extrudes the asphalt material in such a way that results in a compacted wedge shape pavement edge of approximately 30 degrees (not steeper than 35 degrees). The device shall maintain contact to the road shoulder surface. It shall also allow for automatic transition to cross roads, driveways and obstructions. The device shall constrain the asphalt head reducing the area by 10 to 15% increasing the density of the extruded profile. Conventional single plate strike off are not allowed. The contractor may use the TransTech Shoulder Wedge Maker or the Advant- Edge or a similar device that produces the same wedge consolidation results. If the contractor uses a similar device, he must provide proof that his device has been used on previous projects with acceptable results or the contractor shall construct a test section prior to the beginning of work and demonstrate wedge compaction to the satisfaction of the engineer. Short sections of handwork will be allowed when necessary for transitions and turnouts or otherwise authorized by the engineer. This work will be included in the pay item Hot Mix Asphalt.

Safety Edge Cost Equipment – about $3,500 (one time expense) Material – 1% to 2.5% of a typical overlay cost

42 More Information  nt/safedge/  TPF-5(097) Evaluation of the Safety EdgeEvaluation of the Safety Edge Specifications and Drawings  Safety Impacts of Pavement Edge Drop-offs: September 2006

43 Challenge What will you do this year to make our highways safer ?  Low Cost  Focused  Proven

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