Road Safety Audits for Northwest Missouri

Through strong partnerships and the use of Road Safety Audits, we are doing even more to keep the roads as safe as possible in Northwest Missouri.
In the fall of 2010, a partnership was formed between the three northwest Missouri Regional Planning Commissions, the Federal Highway Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation to begin performing several Road Safety Audits in the region.
Road Safety Audits are the examination of an existing road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. This team of five to 10 individuals, usually made up of local law enforcement, highway engineers, Regional Planning Commissions and local government officials, come together to review roadways and prepare reports that list potential safety improvements and suggest ways of funding the improvements.
"Regional Planning Commissions are practical organizations to conduct RSAs because they can offer resources afterward to help communities implement the safety improvements suggested in the RSA report," said Tom Bliss, Mo-Kan executive director.
The partnership was so successful, in fact, that in August of 2011, their efforts were recognized with an award at the National Rural Transportation Conference in Washington, D.C., called the "Excellence in Regional Transportation Award." The award recognizes the year-long cooperation of the three Regional Planning Commissions in northwest Missouri – The Mo-Kan Regional Council in St. Joseph, the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments of Maryville, and the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission in Trenton.
"We applaud the initiative and efforts of all of the participants," said MoDOT Northwest District Engineer Don Wichern. "We are always seeking new ways to partner with the community we serve, especially when it involves the safety of the driving public."
Working hand-in-hand with the FHWA and MoDOT, the three RPCs conducted a two-day training workshop in St. Joseph learning how to conduct road safety audits. They then took advantage of the FHWA's Peer-to-Peer program to conduct audits of roadways to identify areas that are most in need of a safety examination. The group's goal is to conduct three road safety audits (one in each RPC region) every year in the 20-county area of the Northwest MoDOT District.
After potential needs are determined from the audits, all partners help determine the best ways to fund both short and long-term projects, based on other existing area concerns.
"These RSAs are one more tool to review as we strive to keep our roads as safe as possible," Wichern said. "Recommendations from the RSAs can range from low to high costs options, and we have to weigh needs with available resources to ensure we are keeping the public safe while still making the best use of taxpayer funds."