Not all analyses, evaluations and testing can be included in national programs. Some highway devices or conditions to be evaluated as potential solutions to roadside safety problems may be unique to a state or region. Additionally, national pooled fund study requires agreement among the many participants which sometimes results in delays in priorities which may not be optimum for individual states or regions. The establishment of an Ohio Regional State Pooled Fund for Roadside Safety Analysis and Test Program will fulfill the need for prompt response and addressing projects of interest to possibly the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern states. The intent of this regional program is not to duplicate other programs, but to supplement and provide a faster response to urgent regional safety problems or needs. States will still have the flexibility to analyze and test their individual designs outside of this proposed program if mutual support from other states is lacking.

The objectives of this program are to provide the technical resources to evaluate, analyze and, when necessary, conduct appropriate testing of candidate hardware products intended as solutions to roadside safety problems or to address roadside safety needs. We intend to focus on up front engineering analysis methods (e.g. FEA) to arrive at design for potential solutions to roadside safety problems including the ability to investigate range of values for controlling performance parameters to these potential solutions. Currently, other programs may have a backlog of project work which can result in a slow down for evaluation of potential solutions and implementation of new technologies to roadside safety problems.

In order to accomplish the objectives of this program, the following tasks will be conducted: Task 1 Work with the Lead Agency, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the FHWA Technical Liaison to finalize membership of participating states into this pooled funds program. Task 2 Establish a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Each project partner will have the opportunity to have a technical expert serve on the TAC. The roles of the committee would include attending annual and/or semi-annual meetings/briefings wherein problem definitions and prioritization are performed, then subsequently reviewing program reports and annual reports, accepting project deliverables and final reports, and assisting in implementation activities. Battelle will be responsible for planning, coordinating and hosting the TAC meetings. The TAC will develop the criteria to select and prioritize the pooled funds projects. The TAC will also determine the overall annual budget for the pooled funds, identify the contributions to be requested from the participating states and establish an annual work plan. The TAC will approve the scope of work for each project and requests for modification to scope when necessary. Task 3 - Reporting Quarterly Progress Reports- On a calendar quarter basis, Battelle will provide program status and progress reports. If necessary, the lead agency or the TAC may request that these reports be issued more frequently. Annual Report-An Annual Report will be made of each project on or about the yearly anniversary date of the program's initiation. Final Report and Summary-A final report of work progress, findings, and recommendations will be provided for each project. An executive summary will accompany each final report.

The estimated commitment required is based on the fact that a typical crash test costs between $25,000 and $35,000 depending on test specifics. Additionally, typical analysis costs are in the $50,000 range, again depending on the degree of analysis required. With these cost estimates at hand, around 2 projects could be performed per year, at least during the first few years of the program. This also translates to an annual budget of about $150,000 to support this level of project activity. A contribution of $40,000 is recommended, but other levels of participation are also welcomed.