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Document Sample
Work Zone Best Practices
A “How To” Workshop
for Making Work
Zones Work Better.
Sponsored by
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Transportation Operations
Washington, D.C.
May 2001
2
Purpose and Process
• Purpose
– Introduce The Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook
– Provide instruction in how to use the Guidebook
– Encourage use of the Guidebook
• Audience
– Practitioners involved in all phases of providing our
transportation network
Planning, operations, engineering, construction,
design, traffic control
• Training Module
– Consists of 5 parts
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3
Overview
What’s the Problem?
• Addressing the Problem: FHWA’s Work
Zone Mobility and Safety Program
• Work Zone Best Practices Resources
• Work Zone Best Practices Applications
• How You Can Help!
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Why Do Work Zones Need To
Work Better?
• Safety of workers and drivers
– Many serious injuries and fatalities result from crashes in work zones
• Mobility of the traveling public
– Travelers are frustrated with the # of work zones and the delays they cause
– More population/drivers + Limited new roads More congestion
• As the nation's highway infrastructure ages, more rehabilitation
is needed.
– Aging infrastructure More rehabilitation More work zones
• Work zone mobility and safety have increasing importance as
work zones become more of a daily fixture on our roads.
– More work zones + More congestion More delays & injuries/fatalities
Unless We MAKE WORK ZONES WORK BETTER
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Work Zones Can Be Dangerous
Fatalities Injuries
1000 50000
Work Zone Fatalities
Work Zone Injuries
800 40000
600 30000
400 20000
200 10000
0 00000
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
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Work Zone Safety Fact Sheet 1
• Fatality Data
– Over the last 5 years the number of persons killed in motor
vehicle crashes in work zones has averaged more than 750
fatalities per year, with a high of 868 in 1999.
– In 1998, 772 fatalities resulted from motor vehicle crashes in
work zones, 222 of which resulted from large truck crashes.
– On average from 1994 to 1998, 16% of the fatalities resulting
from crashes in work zones were non-motorists (pedestrians
and bicyclists).
• Injury Data
– In 1998, approximately 39,000 people were injured as a result of
motor vehicle crashes in work zones; 3,000 of those resulted
from large truck crashes.
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Work Zone Safety Fact Sheet 2
• When Crashes Occur (1998 data)
– More than half of all work zone crashes occurred during
the day, while about three-quarters of fatal large truck
work zone crashes were during the day.
– Almost three times as many work zone crashes occurred
on weekdays compared to weekends.
– Fatal work zone crashes occurred most often in the
summer and the fall.
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Work Zone Safety Fact Sheet 3
• Where Crashes Occur (1998 data)
– Much higher % of fatal work zone crashes occur on
urban interstates (14%) than % of all fatal crashes
occurring on urban interstates (6%).
– For fatal large truck crashes: percentage of work zone
crashes occurring on urban interstates was twice as
high compared to all fatal truck crashes (20% vs. 10%).
– Majority of fatal work zone crashes for all vehicles (59%)
and large trucks (71%) occurred on roads with speed
limits of 55 miles per hour or greater.
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9
Work Zone Safety Fact Sheet 4
• Types of Crashes (1998 data)
– Significantly higher percentage of fatal work zone
crashes are rear-end collisions (31%) than in all two-
vehicle fatal crashes (12%)
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10
Road Construction Hazards Fact Sheet
• For Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
members, employment in road construction is hazardous -
– 38% of members are employed in road construction activities, yet
over 73% of on-the-job fatalities occurred in road and highway
construction
• Highway and street construction activities (SIC 1611) are
among the most hazardous - fatality rate for highway
construction workers is double the rate for other construction
• In the U.S., 120 to 130 workers die per year in road construction
activities. Over 62% of the fatalities are not directly related to
traffic issues.
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Work Zone Mobility Fact Sheet 1
• More Construction Projects More Work Zones
– Since 1981, highway spending has grown 50.2%
– Over the duration of the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century (TEA-21), funding levels for highway
construction will increase nearly 40%
– In 1997, 47.6% was spent on system preservation
(resurfacing, restoration, rehabilitation, reconstruction).
– As our highway system continues to age, more will be
needed.
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More Work Zones
$4,500
Authorized Interstate Highway
Maintenance Funds (Millions)
$4,000
$3,500
$3,000
$2,500
$2,000
$1,500
$1,000
$500
$0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
• 160,000 miles of National Highway System and 300,000 miles of
arterials reaching “middle age”
• $1.4B infrastructure value – increased preservation work is needed
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Work Zone Mobility Fact Sheet 2
• More Traffic More Congestion
–Congestion has been projected to increase
by 50% in the next 10 years
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Traffic is Growing
• The 1999 Conditions and
Performance Report (C&PR)
shows increasing trends in both
highway vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) and Interstate daily VMT
over a 10 year period.
• We’re traveling more miles without
increasing highway capacity
significantly.
• Urban VMT and DVMT per lane-
mile are growing faster than on
rural highways.
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Congestion is Growing
• According to the 1999 C&PR, the percentage of highway
miles considered “extremely” or “severely” congested
more than doubled between 1982 and 1997.
• The percentage “uncongested” highway miles fell by
almost half during the same period.
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Work Zone Mobility
Fact Sheet 3
• More Congestion + More Work Zones More Delay
Driver Frustration
– In a 1995 NQI survey, only 29% of respondents
were satisfied with traffic flow through work
zones; delays caused by construction received
the lowest overall satisfaction rating.
– In the 2000 Omnibus Traveler Survey, the top
reason cited for delays was heavy traffic,
followed by road work.
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Work Zone Mobility Fact Sheet 4
• More Congestion + More Work
Zones More Delay More $$
–Work Zone Delay Costs: Daily
road user delay costs on many
urban freeway reconstruction
projects have been calculated to
be over $50,000 per day.
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Overall Congestion Costs
A recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) study
estimates the cost of congestion (in constant 1997 dollars)
to have grown from $21B in 1982 to $72B in 1997.
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Work Zones . . .
• Take the roadway out of
service
• Impact people and businesses
• Create frustration!
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Consider Running a Factory
• The factory is profitable only when it is producing
• Need to minimize equipment “down” time to
maximize profitability
• What do you do to keep it producing?
– Better equipment with fewer repairs
– Fast maintenance procedures
– Well-trained staff
– Redundant equipment
– Outsourcing options
– Contingency plans
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Consider Our Transportation
System as a Factory
• The Transportation System is part of the
equipment that keeps the factory producing.
• It only makes money (or supports quality of
life) when it’s producing.
• We need to minimize “down” time of the
system.
• What do we do to keep our transportation
system producing?
– Better materials that last longer
– Faster maintenance
– Better methods
– Alternate routes/modes to keep it running
(moving people and goods)
– Good planning
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Just as the cost of downtime is
real to the factory:
The cost of transportation system
“down” time due to work zones is
real to our users.
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Mobility & Safety
• Mobility and Safety are closely tied:
As congestion builds, crash rates increase.
As crashes increase, more congestion occurs.
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Why We Need
Work Zones To Work Better
More work zones
+ More congestion
More delays & injuries/fatalities
UNLESS
WORK ZONES WORK BETTER
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Work Zone Observations*
• Most senior State and local transportation officials are keenly
aware of the delays and economic impacts caused by work
zones, but their philosophy has not been formally documented in
policy statements and/or performance goals; nor is this
awareness ingrained in the culture of the agencies.
• All of the State and local transportation agencies recognize that
completing the work safely is of utmost importance.
• Most States and local transportation agencies recognize the
value of employing traffic management principles. However, their
application has been limited to large high visibility projects.
• Although a few transportation agencies have begun to implement
corridor management techniques, corridor traffic management is
still in its infancy.
*From Meeting the Customer’s Needs for Mobility and Safety During Construction and
Maintenance Operations, Federal Highway Administration, 1998.
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26
Work Zone Observations (cont’d)
• Some States utilize cross-cutting teams and proactively seek
input from external stakeholders in the development of the project
traffic management plan.
• Traditional bidding procedures do not reward or encourage
contractors to produce higher quality work and/or expedite
completion of the work.
• Traditional traffic control practices do not encourage the
contractors to minimize motorist delay and/or enhance the safety
of the work zone.
• Prediction models are available; however, current usage is
generally limited to large highly visible projects.
• There is a compelling need for a comprehensive effort to educate
the general public, road users, and elected officials on the need
for work zones, how to navigate safely through a work zone, and
the dangers associated with them.
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27
Work Zone Observations (cont’d)
• All transportation agencies are experiencing customers’
increasing demand for accurate real time information. Most State
DOTs are meeting their customers’ needs on high impact
projects; however, a few agencies have expanded their program
to include all projects.
• There is universal agreement that the most effective way of
controlling speed in the work zone is to have a staffed police car
with flashing lights at the beginning of the work zone.
• ITS technology has not been adapted/applied into work zone
traffic management.
• There is a compelling need for accurate work zone crash data
and the evaluation of traffic handling techniques in order to make
sound decisions.
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Overview
• What’s the Problem?
Addressing the Problem: FHWA’s Work
Zone Mobility and Safety Program
• Work Zone Best Practices Resources
• Work Zone Best Practices Applications
• How You Can Help!
1/17/2010
29
The Opportunity to Make
Work Zones Work Better
• We have:
– Improved construction materials and processes
– New opportunities provided by technology
– Public frustration that creates political will and increased
acceptance of innovative processes
– Greater means of sharing information about new materials and
processes and technologies:
Internet/Web sites
Conferences/workshops
Peer-to-peer dialogue
• FHWA’s Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
The Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook
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30
A National Agenda to Address the
Impacts of Work Zones
• Maximize availability of
transportation network
• Minimize user impacts
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National Work Zone Mobility and Safety
Vision and Goal
• National Work Zone Vision:
– Maximize availability of the transportation network through
traveler-focused system management that maximizes safety
and minimizes delays due to work zones.
– Plan and conduct maintenance and improvements to the
network in ways that minimize impacts to traffic flow and
risks to road users and workers using a full life-cycle
perspective.
• National Work Zone Goal:
– Minimize impacts on user mobility and safety and worker
safety due to work zones
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32
A National Framework:
“Making Work Zones Work Better”
Transportation
Planning
Managing Continuously Track Project Design
Traffic During and Analyze Work for Construction
Work Zones Zone Performance and Maintenance
Traffic Control
Planning
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National Framework FHWA Program
FHWA Program Objectives
Continuously
Track and
1.Develop national
Analyze Work performance measures
Zone
Performance 2.Track performance
measures over time
• User costs
3.Increase use of
• Exposure performance measures
• Safety
• Delay
• Public
perception
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National Framework FHWA Program
FHWA Program Objectives
Transportation 1.Make work zone considerations
Planning a routine part of transportation
planning
2.Institutionalize consideration of
• User impacts in TIPs
• User impacts in CLRPs user impacts over the life cycle
• Traffic mgmt in corridor
planning
3.Promote corridor/network
management perspective
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35
National Framework FHWA Program
FHWA Program Objectives
Project Design for 1.Reduce construction duration
Construction and (e.g., use of time-conscious
Maintenance construction methods)
2.Increase use of innovative
• Consider user impacts
contracting techniques
– Life cycle analysis 3.Ensure safe working
– Minimum duration
– Minimum work zones environment
• Worker safety 4.Increase life cycle (more
durable, higher quality
projects)
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National Framework FHWA Program
Traffic Control
FHWA Program Objectives
Planning
1.Improve traffic control
plans
• Consider user impacts
– Work scheduling 2.Assess safety impacts of
– Capacity optimization
– Effective TCPs
TCPs on workers
– Public
information/outreach
• Worker safety
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National Framework FHWA Program
Managing FHWA Program Objectives
Traffic During 1.Maximize worker and road
Work Zones user safety during WZ
2.Facilitate use of real-time
• Consider user impact WZ management to
– Effective traffic control
– Real-time WZ minimize delay
management 3.Better inform and involve
– Public information and
involvement the public
– Incident management 4.Encourage prompt,
• Worker safety
effective incident response
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The Three D’s
Durability, Duration, Density
Facility Durability - Reduce the # of work zones: Reduce
the need for work zones through the use of improved
materials and methods that increase the life cycle.
Project Duration - Reduce the time a work zone is in place:
Reduce construction time in the roadway through better
methods, policies, technologies, and operations.
Traffic Density - Improve traffic flow in and around those
work zones that must occur: Decrease traveler delay and
safety impacts due to work zones through better TDM,
traveler information, traffic control, incident response, and
work zone geometry.
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Making Work Zones Work Better
and Best Practices
• Work zone operations managers and operators
realize distinct benefits from being aware of the
current best practices available nationally.
• “Solutions” come from partners working together
successfully to solve problems within the
resources, authority, and relationships available
to them.
• We can learn from the successes of federal, state,
and local agencies and private sector partners
working to “improve mobility and safety on both
sides of the barrel.”
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40
FHWA Work Zone Mobility and Safety
Program
Senior Working Implementation Plan
Mobility and Safety Product Team
Group Working Group
Work Zone Mobility and Safety
Program Plan
Research Technology Sharing Education/Outreach
Strategic Work Zone Work Zone Work Zone
Analysis Tools Best Practices Awareness Week
Research Coordination Work Zone New Driver Safety
and Sharing Technology Scan Awareness Program
Performance Measurement Performance Measurement Traffic Management
Development Implementation Training Course Delivery
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Overview
• What’s the Problem?
• Addressing the Problem: FHWA’s Work
Zone Mobility and Safety Program
Work Zone Best Practices Resources
• Work Zone Best Practices Applications
• How You Can Help!
1/17/2010
42
FHWA Work Zone Best Practices
Resources
Work Zone Best Practices
Review and Best Practices Electronic Best Practices
Update Guidebook Versions Outreach and
Best Practices (Notebook) of Guidebook Education
Update Points Develop Print Develop CDROM Workshops
of Contact Version Guidebook Technical
Develop Cross- Guidebook Develop Web Conference
References Production Based Guidebook Presentations
and Indices Distribution Plan Establish Review Best Practices
and Update Fact Sheets
Process Peer-to-Peer
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Work Zone Best Practices
Guidebook
Overview of the Guidebook
• How the Guidebook is Organized
• Guidebook Maintenance/Updates
• State-of-the-Art Work Zone Mobility
and Safety Practices
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Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook
• Based on 1998 scanning tour of
26 states where work zone best
practices were identified
• Collaboration between FHWA
and AASHTO Work Zone Best
Practices Task Force
• Includes cross-references and
topical index
• Describes state-of-the-art
practice as well as 262 specific
best practices
• Contains points of contact
• Will be updated as the state-of-
the-practice evolves
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Work Zone Best Practices
Guidebook
• Overview of the Guidebook
How the Guidebook is Organized
• Guidebook Maintenance/Updates
• State-of-the-Art Work Zone Mobility
and Safety Approaches
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Guidebook Organization
• Best Practices are presented in 11 Best
Practice Areas
• To facilitate finding applicable practices,
the Best Practices are also sorted into:
– 7 Cross-Reference lists
– A Topical Index of 41 topics and
subtopics
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Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook Structure
Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook
Overview
Best Practices List Best Practices Descriptions Best Practices
and Cross-References Grouped in Major Areas Topical Index
By State/FHWA By Project Life Policy and Procedures Public Relations/ By 41 Different
Cycle Stage Education/Outreach Work Zone Topics
and Subtopics
By Participating By Geographic/ Prediction Modeling Planning and
Organization Demographic and Impact Analysis Programming
Characteristics
By Traffic Conditions By Nature of the Project Development/ Contracting and
Work Design Bidding
By Roadway Specs & Construction Traveler and Traffic
Characteristics Materials, Methods & Information
Practices
Enforcement ITS and Innovation
Technology
Evaluation and
Feedback
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Best Practices Information
• Each Best Practice Area begins with the “State-of-
the-Art”
– Description of the “state-of-the-art”
– List of enabling objectives: what transportation
agencies/practitioners would need to do to
achieve the “state-of-the-art”
• Next is a list of the specific best practices for that
best practice area
– List organizes the practices into more specific
subcategories
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Best Practices Information (cont.)
• For each Best Practice, the Guidebook provides:
– Reference number used in the cross-reference section
– Location where the practice/policy/technology was used
– Title of the Best Practice
– Description
– Reason(s) for adopting the practice/policy/technology
– Biggest benefit(s) realized from the Best Practice
– Location and type(s) of projects where the Best Practice
is most applicable/effective
– Contact(s)
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Work Zone Best Practices
Guidebook
• Overview of the Guidebook
• How the Guidebook is Organized
Guidebook Maintenance/Updates
• State-of-the-Art Work Zone Mobility
and Safety Approaches
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51
FHWA/AASHTO Partnership for Maintaining
the Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook
AASHTO FHWA
• Access to Practitioners • National Coordination
and Vendors • Program Planning and
• Hands-on Experience Management
and Activities • Headquarters and Field
• Subject Matter resources
Expertise • Publication and
• Distribution Channels Production Support
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Role of the AASHTO Work Zone Technical
Team in Maintaining the Guidebook
• Review Current Content - Updates
– Review Guidebook content for accuracy, quality, completeness, and usefulness
and recommend modifications, deletions, corrections.
– Review Guidebook media, format, and organization and recommend
improvements that will improve access and utility.
• Recommend Future Content - Updates
– Identify and contribute new best practices to be added to the Guidebook.
– Assist in soliciting new best practices from practitioners, developers, vendors,
and system users.
– Review best practices submissions and select those which are to be included in
future editions of the Guidebook.
• Outreach
– Help publicize the Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook through professional
organizations, presentations at technical meetings, professional and trade
publications and other venues and outlets.
– Participate in Work Zone Best Practices Workshops as speakers, panelists, and
participants.
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Best Practices Guidebook Update Process
Paper/email/Web
Workshops Reports/Publications Vendors
submissions
Best Practices Ideas
AASHTO
Technical Recommended
Team Periodic Best Practices
Review
Eliminate
outdated
practices
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Work Zone Best Practices
Guidebook
• Overview of the Guidebook
• How the Guidebook is Organized
• Guidebook Maintenance/Updates
State-of-the-Art Work Zone Mobility
and Safety Approaches
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices*
• Policy and Procedure
– Decisions are based upon a customer driven comprehensive work
zone traffic management policy that focuses on reducing the
exposure of the road user and worker.
– Policy addresses high-quality design, construction, and
maintenance operations, minimizing disruption to the highway user
and maintaining a safe, efficient roadway environment for the
traveling public and the highway worker.
– The organizational structure fully supports cross-cutting teams in all
phases of work zone traffic management where capacity reductions
adversely impact traffic flow.
• Public Relations, Education, and Outreach (General Public, Driver,
and Elected Officials)
– The driving community and elected officials are informed, involved,
and sensitive to the highway worker and work site safety needs.
*From Meeting the Customer’s Needs for Mobility and Safety During Construction and
Maintenance Operations, Federal Highway Administration, 1998.
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices (cont.)
• Prediction Modeling and Impact Analysis: Congestion and Crashes
– Available predication/analysis tools are user-friendly and readily
adapted to the local construction site and situation.
– These tools can accurately analyze and reliably predict congestion
situations including travel times, queue length, travel speed, total
delay, crash rates, severity levels, and interactive feedback to both
the design and construction team.
• Planning and Programming
– A corridor approach is used in evaluating, planning, and
programming.
– This process gives full consideration to long-range corridor needs,
traffic demands, road-user costs, potential business community
impacts, use of extended designs and high-performance material,
and overall evaluation of total costs for the life of the improvement.
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices (cont.)
• Project Development/Design
– Motorist delay, road user and worker safety, and impacts to
adjacent communities are assessed on all major urban and other
high volume corridors.
– Cross-cutting teams and multi-agency/interests are used in
developing alternatives and selecting the preferred design that
minimizes present and future exposure to road users and workers.
– The project development process results in a TCP that provides for
shared risk and benefits for owners, contractors, and traveling
public.
– Contract times and motorist delays are minimized through the use
of CPM scheduling and accelerated contracting procedures.
• Contracting and Bidding Procedures
– Contracting and bidding procedures reward contractors for quality
work, innovation, accelerated early completions, minimizing
motorists delays, and enhancing the safety of road-users and
workers.
– On high-risk, high-visibility, and complex projects contractors are
pre-qualified on the basis of quality and past performance.
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices
(cont.)
• Specifications and Construction Materials, Methods, and Practices
– The same level of service is provided through the work zone.
– Workers are physically separated and are protected from the traffic.
– Work areas are sufficiently illuminated at night without blinding the motorist
and gawk screens are used to prevent the motorists from being distracted
during daytime operations.
– Contractors have a vested interest in quality, timeliness, and road-user
safety.
– Facilities perform at an acceptable level of service for 35-50 years with the
minimum planned systems preservation.
– Acceptance is based on performance.
• Traveler and Traffic Information (Project Related)
– Accurate real-time work zone (construction/maintenance/utility operations)
information is provided to the road users in sufficient time to make
informed travel decisions.
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices (cont.)
• Enforcement
– Work zone trained and qualified, full-time uniformed police
officers are readily available for construction and maintenance
operations.
– State-of-the-art technology is used to maximize effectiveness of
these police officers.
• ITS and Innovative Technology
– The ITS systems are used to automatically collect and analyze
before, during, and after traffic flows in the work zones; provide
accurate real-time information automatically to motorists and to
the construction team; enforce speed; as well as safely guide
motorists through the work zone.
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State-of-the-Art Work Zone Practices (cont.)
• Evaluation and Feedback
– Uniform work zone crash data is collected electronically in all
States and the raw data is simultaneously transmitted to the
State DOT.
– Work zone crash data is automatically analyzed and trends
and reports are periodically furnished to appropriate DOT
offices (including, but not limited to, design and construction
project personnel).
– Performance measures for work zone congestion/delay are
used to evaluate how well agencies are meeting performance
goals for mobility and safety in work zones.
– Motorists provide perspectives on how well their demands for
mobility and safety in work zone are being met.
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Overview
• What’s the Problem?
• Addressing the Problem: FHWA’s
Work Zone Mobility and Safety
Program
• Work Zone Best Practices Resources
Work Zone Best Practices Applications
• How You Can Help!
1/17/2010
62
Work Zone Best Practices
Application
How to Use the Guidebook to Find
Best Practices - An Application
Framework
• Practice Applications of Work Zone
Best Practices
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63
Work Zone Best Practices Checklist
Facility Life Cycle
Policy Planning Design Construction
Work Zone Impact Area
Traffic
Density
Project
Duration
Facility
Durability
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Density: How can we reduce the
delay caused by the work zone?
Facility Life Cycle
Policy Planning Design Construction
• Maximum • Incentives • Modeling • Operations
Work Zone Impact Area
delay (traffic delays) and (traffic mgmt)
policies • TMPs analysis/ • Work
• Enforce- • Expectations/ Metrics Scheduling
Traffic ment • TCPs
goals • TDM
Density • Safety • Metrics • Enforce- • Queues
• Corridor ment • Delays
management • ATIS • Enforcement
• PTMS • Implementation
Duration
Durability
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Duration: How can we minimize
the time it takes to build a project?
Facility Life Cycle
Policy Planning Design Construction
Density
Work Zone Impact Area
• Agency • Incentives • Project plans • Execution
policies (project • Resource • Quality
• Procure- times) availability • Management
Project ment • Corridor • Scheduling
Duration methods planning • Contracts
• Methods (competition,
• PR/aware- A+B bidding)
ness • Incentives
Durability
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Durability: Can we reduce the
need for a work zone?
Facility Life Cycle
Policy Planning Design Construction
Density
Duration
Work Zone Impact Area
• Public • Funds • Quality • Materials
policy • Cost/benefit (materials) • Methods
• Cost • Project • Methods • Techno-
benefit scheduling/ (construction) logies
• Technical planning • Measurement
Facility
awareness • Public outreach/ • Testing
Durability • Budgets/ awareness (performance)
funding • Incentives
(construction
quality)
• Life cycle analysis
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Work Zone Best Practices
Application
• How to Use the Guidebook to Find
Best Practices - An Application
Framework
Practice Applications of Work Zone
Best Practices
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68
Sample Problem 1: Bridge Rehabilitation
• Project Description
– A bridge with two separate structures (one for eastbound traffic and
one for westbound traffic) carries about 43,000 vehicles a day on
average, over a river to and from the downtown of a mid-size city.
Each structure has 3 lanes.
– Work involved the eastbound structure and would consist of removing
and replacing the bridge deck, removing and replacing the structural
steel flooring system, and blasting and painting the entire structure.
– Past work on or near the bridge has resulted in 30-minute traffic
delays.
• Develop a plan for construction and traffic management.
– Eastbound structure needs to be closed for most of the project.
• What best practices can be used to enhance mobility and safety
in the work zone?
• How can the Best Practices Guidebook be used to help?
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Response for Sample Problem 1
• Use the Cross-Reference Lists in the Guidebook
– Nature of Work Bridge Repair, Bridge Maintenance
BP #30 - Use of commuter incentives to minimize congestion in
work zones
BP #116 - Contractor hired by design consultant to do
constructability review on bridge (A+B bidding)
BP #135 - Contract award of Interstate bridge repair project
based on performance and cost
– Project Life Cycle Stage most categories, including Traffic
Control, Traffic Control/Management Plans
BP #5 - Traffic management plan on major urban project
BP #95 - Traffic Management Workgroups
– Roadway Characteristics Multi-lane, Divided Facilities
BP #75 - Promotion of A+B bidding; lane rentals,
incentives/disincentives, PR campaign
BP #90 - High Impact Project Task Forces
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Response for Sample Problem 1 (cont.)
• Use the Search Feature of the Guidebook
CD to find some potential best practices
–Search on “bridge”
BP #61 - Multi-jurisdiction TCP and public outreach
for bridge closure project
BP # 94 - Use of a Steering Committee
BP # 121 - Summertime Bridge Reconstruction
Program
–Search on “lane closure”
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Response for Sample Problem 1 (cont.)
• Use the Topical Index
– Community Involvement
– Education/Outreach
– Innovative Contracting
– Public Relations
– Traffic Management Technologies
– Traffic Management/Control
– Traveler Information
Real-Time Traveler Information: BP # 221 - ADAPTIR
– Work Zone Lane Management
– Worker Safety
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Response for Sample Problem 1 (cont.)
• Using a combination of:
– A movable barrier - The westbound structure carried two-way
traffic using a reversible middle lane. A movable concrete
barrier was moved twice daily to make 2 lanes of travel for
peak hour traffic flow direction
– Traffic management system with real-time information
– A+B bidding
– Being proactive in working with local officials and the media
– An innovative overhead crane system to facilitate placement of
the new bridge deck and movement of materials
• Traffic delays and frustration were reduced
– “The media was waiting for traffic to back up and it didn’t.”
– “No one could believe how smoothly traffic flowed because of
the past history of backups on the bridge.”
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Sample Problem 2: Interstate
Highway Reconstruction
• Project Description
– Resurfacing and reconstruction of underlying roadbed, safety
upgrades, major bridge rehabilitation, and drainage
improvements are needed.
– Roadbed is almost 30 years old and needs serious safety
improvements and repairs. 70% of the joints in the sections
that will be replaced have failed or need repair, on-ramps and
bridges need structural or safety improvements.
– Project will include northbound and southbound lanes; each
direction has 2 lanes.
• Develop a plan for construction and traffic management:
What best practices can be used to enhance mobility and
safety in the work zone?
• How can the Best Practices Guidebook be used to help?
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Response for Sample Problem 2
• A combination of:
– Extensive planning
– Widespread community involvement
– Project phasing
– Total road closure strategy
– Year-long information campaign to alert the public to alternate
ways to travel (mode and route)
– Alternate routes (make improvements on them, encourage use)
– Increased use of public transit (new routes, publicity)
• Were used to obtain:
– The shortest reasonable construction period
– At the least expense
– With a minimum of construction disruptions
• All work was completed on-time or faster than planned
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Overview
• What’s the Problem?
• Addressing the Problem: FHWA’s Work
Zone Mobility and Safety Program
• Work Zone Best Practices Resources
• Work Zone Best Practices Applications
How You Can Help!
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How You Can Help!
• Register to receive notice of Guidebook updates.
• Use the best practices to plan, implement, and operate
highway work zones.
• Seek advice from individuals with experience and
expertise.
• Submit good ideas and best practices for work zone
mobility and safety.
• Provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not
working.
• Let FHWA know where you think additional research
and development work is needed.
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Useful Work Zone Web Sites
• FHWA Office of Operations Work Zone Mobility and Safety Web Site
– http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/workzone.htm
• FHWA Office of Safety Web Site Work Zone Information:
– http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/wsz.htm
• FHWA National Work Zone Awareness Week Web Site:
– http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fourthlevel/nwzaw01.htm
• National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse:
– http://wzsafety.tamu.edu
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