SJTPO recently received a prestigious  National Roadway Safety Award www.roadwaysafetyawards.org for its Local Road Safety Audit (RSA) Program.  The RSA Program, which was begun in 2004, examines  roads with a significant crash history or potential to identify low-cost, quick turnaround safety improvements.  These measures, such as lighting, signage, signal upgrades, striping, and others, are eligible for federal safety funds as a result of being identified by the RSA’s.  

The consultant firm of Orth-Rodgers and Associates of West Trenton has been assisting SJTPO in the RSA Program, which is now in its third year.  Of special interest is the interdisciplinary nature of the audit teams, which consist of county representatives, the police, engineering and public works staff of the affected municipalities, the state DOT, the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety and the Federal Highway Administration.  

The audits have raised awareness among local decision-makers by identifying low-cost, quick turnaround safety improvements that are expected to yield immediate safety benefits.  It is one of the first local programs of its kind, utilizing federal planning funds to systemically identify local road segments of concern, organize a team of independent specialists, engage a consultant team for the audits and secure federal funding for the resulting recommended improvements.