Highway System Improvement Program (HSIP)

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), administered by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), continues under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to enhance road safety across all public roads, including those not owned by the state and those on tribal lands. The program adopts a data-driven and performance-based methodology focused on reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries through strategic safety improvements. It aligns with national safety goals and integrates with the Nebraska Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), which identifies key focus areas for investment. HSIP funds are designated for use by NDOT and Local Public Agencies (LPAs) to mitigate transportation safety risks. Projects must specifically address locations that present an existing or potential hazard to motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists, as determined by crash data reflecting frequency and severity. Eligible improvements include the installation of roundabouts, addition of turn lanes, cable median barriers, widened shoulders, roadway lighting, and geometric or alignment modifications. However, the program strictly excludes funding for major road reconstruction, general maintenance activities like repaving shoulders with existing rumble strips, and specific technologies such as adaptive signal control, new traffic signals, and high-friction surface treatments. To qualify for HSIP funding, proposed projects must directly relate to at least one of seven Critical Emphasis Areas (CEAs) from Nebraska’s SHSP: increasing seat belt use; reducing roadway/lane departure, impaired driving, intersection, young driver, older driver, and non-motorist (pedestrian/bicyclist) crashes. These criteria guide both the initial selection of projects and the allocation of funds, ensuring that resources are prioritized for high-impact safety improvements. Projects are evaluated by the NDOT Highway Safety Committee based on a benefit/cost analysis, the nature and severity of crashes, and systemic characteristics such as traffic volumes. A required component of all submissions is the use of Nebraska’s Societal Crash Costs in benefit/cost calculations. Approved projects are incorporated into the NDOT’s Schedule of Safety Improvements. Applications must include detailed documentation: a location map, crash data, verification of high-crash conditions, a description of the proposed safety improvement, cost estimates, alignment with at least one SHSP CEA, and a completed HSIP application cover. Funding support under HSIP typically covers 80 to 90 percent of project costs, depending on the type and phase of the project. The remaining funds must be supplied by the local public agency submitting the proposal. Safety fund requests are submitted through NDOT’s Local Assistance Division and the Highway Safety Section. Proposals deemed promising may be presented to the Highway Safety Committee, and the applying LPA has the option to present their case directly. Contact information for the Nebraska Department of Transportation Headquarters is as follows: 1500 Nebraska Parkway, Lincoln, NE 68502, with a main phone line at (402) 471-4567. No specific email or direct grant officer contact is listed. No firm application open or close dates are posted, and no information was available on whether the program is recurring or operates on a rolling basis.