Speaking

Hard Shoulder Running (HSR) is an innovative strategy of utilizing part-time shoulder use to squeeze additional capacity out of the existing infrastructure by targeting facilities with short-duration peak periods where congestion is noticeable. However, reducing the lateral width to obstructions when the shoulder is being used as a travel lane has created the perception that safety could be compromised. While several HSR projects have been constructed, few have been in the ground long enough to compare before and after safety data to determine if this is a legitimate concern. This presentation will discuss Ohio’s first completed HSR corridor and compare the crash trends before and after implementation. It will also discuss lessons learned from that installation and discuss some of the gaps in the current practice that need to be addressed as more HSR corridors come online.