Road Safety Audit on Ironwood Avenue

This project was funded by the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); the HSIP is a competitive grant in which municipalities, cities, counties, tribal lands, etc. apply and compete for funding. The HSIP is a core federal-aid program whose purpose is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. This successful application required a data-driven approach to improving highway safety on all public roads that focuses on performance; this means that when applying, the city had to strategize and show actual collision data that demonstrated that the proposed location was a high collision area. After the city did this, it also proposed countermeasures known as Crash Reduction Factors (CRFs) in order to reduce the number of collisions occurring at the project location extents. Upon being selected as a successful recipient of the grant, the city proceeded to hire a consultant to produce signing and striping plans. Following this, the city hired a contractor and subcontractor to install the signs and restripe. The project provided signing and striping improvements on Ironwood Avenue from approximately 1,200 feet west of Lasselle Street to Nason Street. There were not utility mark outs prior to the installation of the signposts. There was no work performed on traffic signals nor streetlights so electrical services were not required. Construction was officially completed on November 17, 2022.
The newly installed traffic signs and pavement markings as well as other traffic control devices have substantially improved traffic safety especially for the senior residents. Consequently, pedestrians in nearby schools are now able to walk feeling safer. Motorists can observe traffic signs clearer especially at nighttime. Traffic safety has been greatly improved.