1 / 77

Work Zone Best Practices

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. Purpose and Process. Purpose Introduce The Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook

iden
Download Presentation

Work Zone Best Practices

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 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

  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!

  4. 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

  5. Work Zones Can Be Dangerous

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  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%)

  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.

  11. 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.

  12. More Work Zones • 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

  13. Work Zone Mobility Fact Sheet 2 • More Traffic  More Congestion • Congestion has been projected to increase by 50% in the next 10 years

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. Work Zones . . . • Take the roadway out of service • Impact people and businesses • Create frustration!

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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.

  23. Mobility & Safety • Mobility and Safety are closely tied: • As congestion builds, crash rates increase. • As crashes increase, more congestion occurs.

  24. Why We Need Work Zones To Work Better More delays & injuries/fatalities UNLESS WORK ZONES WORK BETTER More work zones + More congestion

  25. 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.

  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.

  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.

  28. 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!

  29. The Opportunity to MakeWork 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

  30. A National Agenda to Address the Impacts of Work Zones • Maximize availability of transportation network • Minimize user impacts

  31. 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

  32. A National Framework:“Making Work Zones Work Better” Transportation Planning Continuously Track and Analyze Work Zone Performance Managing Traffic During Work Zones Project Design for Construction and Maintenance Traffic Control Planning

  33. Continuously Track and Analyze Work Zone Performance • User costs • Exposure • Safety • Delay • Public perception National Framework  FHWA Program • FHWA Program Objectives • Develop national performance measures • Track performance measures over time • Increase use of performance measures

  34. Transportation Planning • User impacts in TIPs • User impacts in CLRPs • Traffic mgmt in corridor planning National Framework  FHWA Program • FHWA Program Objectives • Make work zone considerations a routine part of transportation planning • Institutionalize consideration of user impacts over the life cycle • Promote corridor/network management perspective

  35. Project Design for Construction and Maintenance • Consider user impacts • Life cycle analysis • Minimum duration • Minimum work zones • Worker safety National Framework  FHWA Program • FHWA Program Objectives • Reduce construction duration (e.g., use of time-conscious construction methods) • Increase use of innovative contracting techniques • Ensure safe working environment • Increase life cycle (more durable, higher quality projects)

  36. Traffic Control Planning • Consider user impacts • Work scheduling • Capacity optimization • Effective TCPs • Public information/outreach • Worker safety National Framework  FHWA Program • FHWA Program Objectives • Improve traffic control plans • Assess safety impacts of TCPs on workers

  37. Managing Traffic During Work Zones • Consider user impact • Effective traffic control • Real-time WZ management • Public information and involvement • Incident management • Worker safety National Framework  FHWA Program • FHWA Program Objectives • Maximize worker and road user safety during WZ • Facilitate use of real-time WZ management to minimize delay • Better inform and involve the public • Encourage prompt, effective incident response

  38. 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.

  39. Making Work Zones Work Betterand 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.”

  40. FHWA Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program

  41. 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!

  42. FHWA Work Zone Best Practices Resources

  43. 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

  44. 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

  45. 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

  46. 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

  47. Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook Structure

  48. 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

  49. 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)

  50. 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

More Related