United States: National Center for Excellence for Rural Road Safety

Deadline: 18-Aug-21

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Highway Administration is currently inviting applications for the National Center for Excellence for Rural Road Safety to provide technical assistance, information sharing of noteworthy practices, and training in the use of tools and decision-making processes that can assist transportation agencies in effectively implementing rural safety and surface transportation programs, projects, and policies.

The primary mission of the Rural Safety Center is to facilitate training and educational exchange, as well as provide technology transfer and deployment to practitioners to improve the overall understanding of roadway safety data and analysis, safety effectiveness evaluations, and investment decision-making in the areas of rural safety and surface transportation safety.

Objectives

The Department will consider the following key Departmental objectives:

Ensuring safety;
Fostering economic strength and good-paying American Jobs;
Creating equitable access to opportunity;
Tackling the climate crisis;
Making the infrastructure more resilient; and
Modernizing the nation’s infrastructure.

Areas

Although proposals are not limited to DOT priorities, the Department is interested in these areas:

Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S.) Initiative: A strong transportation network is critical to the functioning and growth of the American economy. The Nation’s industry depends on the transportation network to move the goods that it produces and facilitate the movements of the workers who are responsible for that production.
Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program: The Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program is a DOT initiative that is exploring emerging technologies to enhance travel that includes opportunities for people with mobility challenges by providing travel opportunities that are seamlessly integrated into their daily lives.

Funding Information

The FHWA anticipates Federal funding up to a total amount of $4,900,000.00 from the Training and Education and Technology and Innovation Deployment Programs may be made available for this opportunity, subject to the availability of funding. Available funding for the Base Period is currently $1,444,154.00.
The period of performance will consist of one 24-month Base period, with up to three (3) 12-month Option periods. The total potential period of performance, if all option periods are exercised, is 60 months (5 years)

Tasks

Task 1 Administration and Reporting: Task 1 involves the non-technical regular planning, tracking, and reporting. The Recipient will engage in the following: a project kick-off meeting, monthly scheduled and as-needed status conference calls, quarterly progress reports, and quarterly financial reports with labor/cost/expenditure tracking and invoicing.
Task 2 Transition, Operate, Host, and Maintain Rural Safety Center and Strategic Plan Development: Task 2 includes the transition from the current Rural Safety Center, standing up this new Rural Safety Center, and the preparation of a 5-year Strategic Plan for the new Rural Safety Center. The Rural Safety Center has an established “branding” and it is intended that this current “branding” will remain.
Task 3 Update Synthesis of Existing Rural Safety and Surface Transportation Safety Projects: The purpose of this task will be to prevent duplicative efforts; identify gaps in training, education, and research; catalogue resources and material already available, and provide a basis for Rural Safety Center projects that advance and accelerate current undertakings.
Task 4 Collaboration with Stakeholders: The purpose of the Safety Stakeholder group (Group) will be to exchange facts and/or information on the on-going efforts of the Rural Safety Center.
Task 5 Annual Project and Product Plans: The Plan shall include proposed Training and Education, Technology Transfer and Deployment, and Research Projects, Initiatives and Products.
Task 6 Training and Education: Traditionally, training can be viewed as efforts to teach a skill or provide knowledge to make an individual qualified or proficient in a defined area and is often thought of as a defined event that can be consistently repeated with an agenda that transfers needed knowledge to perform an activity.
Task 7 Technology Transfer and Deployment: This task shall include dissemination (e.g., Peer Exchanges, Demonstration Projects) of rural and surface transportation safety research results and best practices available to potential users in a form that can be implemented in a timely manner.
Task 8 Research Projects: The Recipient shall conduct applied safety research, the products of which are judged by peers or other experts in the field of rural safety and surface transportation safety to advance the body of knowledge in safety.
Task 9 Develop and Implement a Marketing and Communication Plan: Task 9 shall include the development of a marketing and communication plan for all training, education, research, and other projects that the Rural Safety Center shall conduct. The Recipient shall consider the specificity of the training and address this as appropriate in the plan.