TEA engineer packs big punch in short visit.

Richard Sumrak puts a lot of work into a little bit of time. His main job these days is to evaluate highway safety at military installations across the country.

A member of MTMC's Transportation Engineering Agency, at Fort Eustis, Va., Sumrak arrives at an installation on Sunday--in order to make a prompt start on Monday morning.

Sumrak has to work fast, but he absolutely must be accurate.

Depending on what he finds and what he recommends, lives may be at stake.

By Friday, he has prepared a draft report, and provides a briefing to the installation commander.

"For a highway engineer, this is rewarding work," says Sumrak.

"The focus is on low-cost solutions for high-crash locations."

It is called the Crash Location Enhancement Study Program. Simply stated, the Federal Highway Administration makes funding available to the Newport News, Va., agency to offer free highway safety studies to Department of Defense installations that qualify for them.

Results of the work are impressive:

* At Fort Drum, N.Y., the grading at 12 railroad highway crossings have been improved.

* At Fort Bragg, N.C., recommended improvements at a half-dozen intersections have been completed, resulting in improved traffic operations and safety.

After recent reviews at Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, in Georgia, the state highway department committed $700,000 for new signs and a completely new intersection design.

"We found they had 1970s-era traffic signs," said Sumrak.

Several years ago, a Transportation Engineering Agency team studied traffic safety outside the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., where warfighter deployments exceeded the capacity of the existing road grid.

Recommendations led to changes.

"They do make changes," said Sumrak.

When Sumrak or his accompanying partner, Richard Quesenberry, go on the road, it is as part of a two-member government/contractor team. Typically, one of the two colleagues is teamed with a contract engineer who is familiar with the study process.

When the team arrives, they carry all the equipment they need to be self-sufficient: electronic traffic counters, two laptops, one printer and a digital camera.

Why two laptops?

The team uses one to research highway safety standards.

As findings are made, the team uses the second laptop to begin writing a draft report. Key areas of analysis are traffic and accident data--and physical inspections of an installation's road network.

Team members identify many potential accident-prone situations. At Fort Campbell, Ky., a crosswalk was not conveniently located for pedestrian traffic, causing walkers to cross at an unsafe location.

The crosswalk was moved.

At Fort Story, Va., said Sumrak, a soldier was killed when his vehicle hit an old concrete retaining wall that was no longer needed.

Installation officials ordered the wall removed at a cost of $2,000.

"Removal of that retaining wall will prevent future injuries," said Sumrak. "We calculate that it will save at least one life every 10 years.

"The surveys are extremely beneficial," said Sumrak.

"Many signs, pavement markings, signals, guard rails and road designs do not meet minimum safety standards."

Since the program began in 1999, the team has visited 52 Department of Defense installations.

"They save lives," said their boss, Paul Allred. "Our whole focus is to get results."

To augment the program, the agency is developing a computer-based CD that will provide basic traffic engineering training and guidance for Department of Defense employees.

Annually, there are 37,000 vehicle accidents on military installations that kill and injure thousands of people.

On installation visits, Allred has his eye out for a particular situation: Army cannons or Navy ship anchors near roads or on medians.

"They sometimes are a traffic hazard," said Sumrak. "We recommend they be removed."

Team members may be contracted at [phone]; DSN 927-4313; or by email at [e-mail].