BACKGROUND

AASHTO’s Technical Committee on Roadside Safety (TCRS) is the custodian of the Roadside Design Guide (RDG): researching, writing, and publishing its content. This division of the Subcommittee on Design consists of senior- and mid-level roadside safety practitioners from FHWA and State DOTs. As such, the labor related to the RDG’s production has historically been completely voluntary. The RDG 4th edition was published in 2011. Since then, changes within the roadside safety practice as well as AASHTO’s strategic direction have necessitated a 5th edition. The labor for this update was to have begun in 2014, but an emergent issue within the industry required a great deal of involvement of the TCRS membership.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this project was to complete the preliminary work needed for development and publishing of the RDG 5th edition. Activities were to include: (1) assembling the RDG according to a reorganized outline; (2) reviewing and verifying the sources of information currently contained within the RDG; (3) reviewing contemporary research and identifying potential locations to insert new content in the RDG; (4) identifying areas within the RDG where guidance is needed but does not exist; and (5) identifying and recommending other enhancements to the RDG. development of a draft Chapter 2; (2) facilitation of a writing workshop; (3) attendance to TRB Committee AFB20 and TCRS annual meetings; (4) review of state-specific information and websites; (5) tort liability assessment; and (6) technical editing. 

STATUS: The project was terminated on 09/30/2022, due to a hiatus for related work outside NCHRP. An interim update is available at https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/20-07(383)/InterimUpdate.pptx.