Highway System Improvement Program (HSIP)

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a federally authorized initiative administered at the state level by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). The program is supported under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and is designed to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries across all public roadways, including those not owned by the state and those located on tribal lands. The program emphasizes a data driven and performance based approach to improving roadway safety and aligns with national safety priorities while being implemented through state specific strategic plans. The primary purpose of the HSIP is to fund infrastructure improvements that directly address documented or potential safety hazards. Projects must demonstrate a clear relationship to crash reduction and align with Nebraska Strategic Highway Safety Plan critical emphasis areas. These include improving seat belt usage, reducing roadway departure crashes, addressing impaired driving, minimizing intersection related incidents, and reducing crashes involving young drivers, older drivers, and non motorists such as bicyclists and pedestrians. The program prioritizes interventions that can be supported by crash data and measurable safety outcomes. Funding provided through the HSIP can be used for a range of physical roadway improvements. Eligible uses include adding turn lanes, installing roundabouts, implementing cable median barriers, widening shoulders, improving lighting, and making geometric or alignment modifications. However, the program explicitly excludes major reconstruction projects, routine maintenance activities, and certain technologies such as adaptive signal control systems, new traffic signals, or high friction surface treatments. These restrictions ensure that funding is focused on targeted safety improvements rather than general infrastructure upgrades. The program requires a cost sharing component. Federal funding typically covers between eighty and ninety percent of project costs depending on the project phase and type. The remaining portion must be provided by local public agencies, making local participation and financial commitment essential for project approval. This cost sharing requirement reinforces local investment in safety improvements and ensures that projects are prioritized based on both need and feasibility. Eligible applicants include NDOT and local public agencies, commonly referred to as LPAs. These entities must submit project proposals that clearly demonstrate safety benefits supported by crash data and benefit cost analysis. Applications must include a completed cover form, location map, crash data, evidence of a high crash location, a description of the proposed improvement, a cost estimate, and confirmation that the project addresses at least one critical emphasis area. Benefit cost analyses must use standardized Nebraska societal crash cost values and approved crash modification factors. The application process follows a structured annual timeline. Local agencies submit applications between November and January, with a firm submission deadline of January thirty first each year via email to the NDOT Local Assistance Division and Highway Safety Section. Applications undergo technical review through February, followed by committee review and recommendations in March and April. Final approvals occur by May, at which point successful applicants are notified. Approved projects are then programmed and integrated into transportation planning documents through September. Project selection is conducted by the NDOT Highway Safety Committee using criteria such as benefit cost ratios, crash frequency and severity, and broader systemic considerations like traffic volume. Approved projects are incorporated into the Schedule of Safety Improvements. While no specific award amounts or project durations are publicly defined, the program operates on an annual cycle and is expected to continue as part of ongoing federal transportation safety funding. Contact with NDOT is facilitated through a general program email, and additional crash data can be requested through designated staff members using a formal request process.

Focus on strong benefit cost analysis using approved crash modification factors and clear evidence of high crash frequency or severity