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Risk -Based Prioritization Methodology <br />Run-off the road crashes have been identified as the predominant collision type in Kittitas County and are <br />occurring at a disproportionately high rate on specific corridors as compared to other public roads in the <br />state as shown in the crash data provided by WSDOT for 2019-2023, reflected in Table 2. As a result, this <br />plan will focus on roadside safety improvements to reduce the severity and number of accidents on Kittitas <br />County roads where it is most likely that run-off the road crashes will occur. <br />From a safety perspective, the ideal roadway is straight with roadsides that are flat and unobstructed by <br />hazards. Straight roadways eliminate the need for drivers to navigate curves, reducing the chances of <br />running off the road. Providing the recommended clear zone and roadside slopes allows drivers to safely <br />recover control of a vehicle in the event they do leave the roadway and helps ensure fixed -object hazards <br />do not cause fatal or serious injury accidents. The aforementioned roadway geometry and clear recovery <br />area is the goal in improving roadside safety but is often cost prohibitive due to the geography of the area <br />and is not supported by rural character or practical design. In cases where it is cost prohibitive to eliminate <br />roadway curvature and create an unobstructed traversable roadside, alternative improvements that may <br />reduce the severity of an accident or alert a driver to a hazard should be considered. This safety plan <br />focuses on roadway segments and intersections where low-cost high benefit countermeasures and <br />improvements can be implemented. These countermeasures and improvements may include improved or <br />increased pavement markings, breakaway features on posts, guardrail deployment, bridge rail retrofits, <br />rumble strip installation, and signing and traffic delineation upgrades, all of which may be implemented to <br />reduce fatal and serious injury collisions. <br />Based on the crash data for 2019-2023, 98.3% percent of the total crashes involved roads with a speed <br />limit of 35mph or higher. In order to have the greatest potential impact in reducing collisions, the county <br />considered roads for evaluation and prioritization of safety improvements with the following characteristics: <br />MINIMUM CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING ROAD SEGMENTS IN SAFETY PLAN: <br />• Paved: Asphalt Concrete Overlay (ACP), Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), or Bituminous Surface <br />Treatment (BST). <br />• ADT of 175 or more. <br />• Posted speeds of 35 mph or more. <br />• Collision within segment in the past five years. <br />The minimum criteria include the preliminary eligibility requirements as defined by the U.S. Department of <br />Transportation Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) as <br />