Skip to contentUnited States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration Go to TFHRC homeGo to FHWA websiteFeedback
Skip Repetitive Links. Go to TFHRC Home. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.
Go to the Site Map. Perform a search of the TFHRC Website. Receive help using the TFHRC website. Menu.

Go to What's New. Go to About TFHRC. Go to Our Products. Go to Our Research. Go to Our Support Services. Go to the Library. Go to Periodicals. Go to Other Resources. Read our Privacy Policy. Send us your Feedback. Return to TFHRC Home. menu bar.

PPT version for Printing

Iowa’s Experience with Two-lane to Three-lane Conversions

Wen Li, Master’s Student
and
Dr. Alicia Carriquiry
Iowa State University Department of Statistics,

Dr. Michael Pawlovich, PE
and
Tom Welch, PE
Iowa DOT Office of Traffic and Safety

for
the Iowa Department of Transportation
Office of Traffic and Safety


Preliminary Results

  • Density: 12 percent downward arrow (reduction)
  • Rate: 34 percent downward arrow (reduction)

NO control sites – so preliminary results – future effort


What

  • Converting an existing 2-lane roadway to a 3-lane roadway → typically 2-lanes with center continuous left-turn lane
  • Important → left-turn lane
  • Also – sometimes bike lanes and pedestrian accommodations

What: 3-lane

View alternative text
Arnold’s Park, IA – US 71 NB
 
View alternative text
Arnold’s Park, IA – US 71 NB
 
View alternative text
Arnold’s Park, IA – US 71 NB
 
View alternative text
Indianola, IA – IA 92 NB
 
Harlan, IA
View alternative text
School
View alternative text
 
 Speed Limit

Harlan, IA – US 59 NB

Note: Oncoming van is entering turn lane with vehicle behind it. Speed limit is 45 mph thru the school site.

View alternative text

History

  • Treatments in Iowa
    • 35 from 1981 – 2004
    • 28 from 1991 – 2004
  • Studies
    • 2005 – Florida DOT

Bayesian Before/After

  • Objective: Assess whether 2-lane to 3-lane conversions appear to result in crash reductions on Iowa roads
  • Data
    • 34 treatment – 1 dropped as treatment in 1981
    • 25 years (1982-2006)
    • Volumes: 2,500 to 15,700 (1982-2006)
    • Currently NO control sites – future effort

Site Data

Site IDCityPopulation 2000Volume 2000
1Ames50,7316,800
2Ames50,7317,900
3 Ames50,7317,500
4Ames 50,7318,500
5Ames 50,7315,000
6 Ames50,73112,200
7 Ames50,73110,000
8 Arnolds Park1,16215,700
9 Atlantic7,2578,000
10Council Bluffs58,268 8,200
11Creston7,5975,300
12Davenport98,3599,500
13Davenport98,3598,500
14Dyersville4,0359,000
15Eldridge4,1597,100
16Harlan5,2825,300
17Hull1,9604,400
18Indianola12,998 13,500
19Iowa City62,22010,000
20Iowa City62,2207,500
21Manchester5,257 7,900
22Manchester5,257 7,500
23Maquoketa6,11210,000
24Mason City 29,1723,200
25Mason City 29,1727,400
26Nevada6,658 3,400
27Nevada6,6585,600
28Nevada6,658 4,000
29New London1,937 2,500
30Newton 15,57911,500
31North Liberty5,36711,500
32Oelwein6,6925,000
33Orange City5,582 4,500
34Pella9,8323,200
35Waverly 8,968 6,000

Note: Maquoketa dropped from analysis (1981)

 
Site IDCityLength (mi) Completion Year
1Ames 0.502003
2Ames0.802002
3Ames0.351998
4Ames0.451996
5Ames 0.252004
6Ames0.301998
7Ames 0.502001
8Arnolds Park1.802000
9Atlantic 2.001994
10Council Bluffs0.851995
11Creston0.322004
12Davenport1.00 1992
13Davenport0.90 2003
14Dyersville0.50 1987
15Eldridge0.602001
16Harlan 2.172001
17Hull0.251997
18Indianola1.601983
19Iowa City0.45 1997
20Iowa City0.75 2001
21Manchester0.202000
22Manchester0.502000
23Maquoketa0.801981
24Mason City1.002003
25Mason City1.001998
26Nevada0.25 2002
27Nevada0.25 2002
28Nevada 1.001999
29New London 0.251985
30Newton 0.901982
31North Liberty0.50 2000
32Oelwein 1.001984
33Orange City1.001991
34Pella1.201985
35Waverly1.851997

Note: Maquoketa dropped from analysis (1981)


Monthly Crash Densities and Rates

 DensityView alternative text
Site 4 Intervention
 RateView alternative text

Modeling/Statistics

  • Crashes: random, rare count events
  • Model: Poisson with/ log mean expressed as a piece-wise linear function of:
        - time period (months)
        - seasonal effects
        - random effect for each site
  • Adopted a Bayesian statistical framework for estimation of model parameters
  • Model essentially the same as for prior 4-lane to 3-lane analysis

Preliminary Results/Discussion

  • 12% downward arrow(reduction) in crashes/mile
  • 34% downward arrow(reduction) in crash rate

Recall NO control sites – so preliminary results


Results/Discussion

  • Prior Florida DOT study:
    • 32 percent decline in crashes
    • not "significant" at 95 percent confidence level
  • Need to include control sites - future

< Presentation 7 | Presentation 9 >

 

What's New | About TFHRC | Our Products | Our Research | Support Services
Library | Periodicals | Other Resources | Site Map | Search

FHWA
TFHRC Home | FHWA Home | Feedback

United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration