BACKGROUND
NCHRP Project 17-71A, "Proposed AASHTO Highway Safety Manual, Second Edition" (HSM2) has developed proposed materials in a format suitable for consideration by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). HSM2 is expected to incorporate updates from several associated research projects, as well as other relevant highway safety guidance documents and publications. While the HSM2 was not intended to be a complete rewrite, it underwent significant changes in content and organization (see Special Note A). This presents a major opportunity to advance highway safety practices through its application and integration into engineering practices.
As the proposed HSM2 material is provided to AASHTO for consideration, a concurrent effort is needed to create guidelines on the appropriate application of HSM2 for transportation agencies.
Research is needed to develop training materials and tools that support state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other practitioners in adopting and applying the new HSM2 materials. The resources will facilitate the implementation of the HSM2 materials throughout the full project life-cycle, from programming and planning to design and operation, by focusing on typical HSM2 applications and incorporating the NCHRP Project 17-127, "Guide for Applying Quantitative Highway Safety Analysis Methods" for non-traditional cases.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive training program to support understanding why and how to apply HSM2.
The training program, with a minimum of 40 hours of training modules, shall be developed with a focus on being customizable, interactive, engaging, and incorporating real-world examples. The training program must be developed to:
- Include a target audience that encompasses, but is not limited to, those involved in research, planning, project development, and operations.
- Assume that the targeted audience may have limited or no previous experience in applying quantitative highway safety analysis methods.
Accomplishment of the project objective(s) will require at least the following tasks.
TASKS
The sequencing of tasks and deliverables (such as technical memorandums or summary reports) shall be structured for delivery in quarterly progress report submissions where specific deliverables are requested or proposed. There will be three project phases, with a 27-month duration broken into nine 3-month quarters. An estimation of time for Phases I and III is presented below. However, the proposer may resequence the timeline according to their best thinking.
PHASE I – PLANNING AND PREPARATION
Phase I of the project will comprise the approval of the cornerstone elements of the research plan. It is envisioned that Phase I will assist with the development of the completed draft set of training materials in Phase II. The research team shall discuss how non-proprietary spreadsheet tools can be incorporated into the training courses.
This phase is estimated to be accomplished in two project quarters and shall include the delivery of (1) the Amplified Research Plan; (2) a kick-off meeting with summary notes; (3) a breakdown of training modules with learning outcomes; (4) recommendations on the length and delivery method for each training module to best meet the needs of the audiences; (5) a schedule for the deliverables and panel review for Phase II activities; and (6) template files for storyboard and modular training materials that must include presentation slides with speaker notes, participant and instructor notebooks, and interactive activities featuring exercises and examples.
At the end of Phase I, the research team shall deliver Interim Report No. 1 and an updated Phase II research plan with a virtual interim meeting.
PHASE II – PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Phase II of the project will focus on developing the training materials per Interim Report No. 1 and ensuring each training module's storyboard is reviewed and approved before creating the full training content. For each example or exercise, the research team shall provide input data, completed spreadsheets, and output files.
In Phase II, the research team shall also develop a plan to pilot a 16-hour-long subset of the training program in Phase III. A list of invitational attendees, with good geographic and organizational diversity, must be prepared and will be reviewed and approved by the NCHRP.
At the end of Phase II, the research team shall deliver Interim Report No. 2, which includes all the training materials for all training modules, a plan for the pilot, and an updated Phase III research plan with a virtual interim panel meeting.
PHASE III – PILOT AND FINAL DELIVERABLES
Phase III shall not exceed 5 months and will be reserved for piloting a subset of the training program and developing the final deliverables.
The research team shall conduct a pilot as approved in Phase II. A task report shall document opportunities, challenges, barriers, and other observations learned from the pilot useful for refining the training materials.
Based on the feedback collected from the pilot, revise the training program. The final deliverables shall include:
- An executive summary and conduct of research report documenting the entire project and describing the deliverables;
- A comprehensive training program, including presentation slides, speaker notes, participant notebook, instruction notebook, interactive activities, exercises and examples for each training module;
- A technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”; and
- A recording with an overview and explanation of the modules within the training program and the presentation slides and speaker notes.
STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.
