The authors address the need for allocation of resources to run off-road and fixed-object hazards on immense secondary road systems. In Virginia, there are 95,000 km of roadway with uncharacterized hazards in need of guardrail upgrade, installation, or related warning signs or other protection. A decision aid is developed to assist the planner in guardrail resource allocation by accounting for the potential crash severities, traffic exposures, costs of treatment, and other factors. A premise is that no single benefit-cost ratio or selection criterion applies across all localities. The decision aid enables the planner to interpret the variety of benefits and costs in their own units, emphasizing the needs and preferences of individual localities. The paper describes: (1) archiving and comparison of protected and unprotected hazards; (2) regional screening of hazardous corridors and (3) multi criteria benefit-cost analyses of guardrail sites. A case study of guardrail selection is presented. (Author/publisher).
Samenvatting