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Designing for Speed, Congestion, and Delay in the Work Zone

Designing for Speed, Congestion, and Delay in the Work Zone. Gerald Ullman Research Engineer Texas Transportation Institute. Work Zone Safety Trends. Work Zone Consequences.  40,000 injuries/year nationally  120 workers killed annually  $4.5 billion/year national economic cost.

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Designing for Speed, Congestion, and Delay in the Work Zone

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  1. Designing for Speed, Congestion, and Delay in the Work Zone Gerald Ullman Research Engineer Texas Transportation Institute

  2. Work Zone Safety Trends

  3. Work Zone Consequences •  40,000 injuries/year nationally •  120 workers killed annually •  $4.5 billion/year national economic cost

  4. Some other facts… • 43,500 miles of the National Highway System sees at least one day of work zone activity annually • In summer, we lose the equivalent of 41 million vehicles per day of roadway capacity due to work zones

  5. Work Zone Exposure

  6. The Result…

  7. Speed Management in Work Zones • Enforcement • Speed control technologies

  8. Enforcement considerations • Realistic and “reasonable” speed limits • Adequate coordination between DOT and enforcement agencies • Labor availability

  9. Enforcement • Circulating 2-3 mph • Stationary 3-13 mph • Police Traffic Controllers 2-14 mph • Operation Hardhat ???

  10. Work Zone Speed Control Technologies • Enforcement surrogates • Driver information/feedback • Perceptual methods

  11. Enforcement Surrogates • “Dummy” vehicles ----- • Unmanned radar 0-2 mph • Remote enforcement ----- • Automated enforcement -----

  12. Driver Information/Feedback • Changeable Message Signs (CMS) 0-2 mph • CMS w/ radar 0-6 mph • Speed trailers 2-10 mph • CB Wizard 0-2 mph • Variable Speed Limits 0-5 mph*

  13. Perceptual Methods • Rumble strips 1-6 mph • Transverse markings 0 mph • Narrowed lanes 0-8 mph

  14. Congestion and Delay Management in Work Zones • Increase work zone capacity and efficiency of flow • Reduce traffic demands at work zone bottleneck points • Communicate accurate estimates of delay and congestion expectations

  15. “Get In, Get Out, Stay Out” • 77% motorists prefer long-term repairs, even if delays are more significant • Focus on longer-lasting materials, better construction methods, longer service life horizon • Major constraint: $$

  16. Increasing Capacity • Late-merge or dynamic merge control • Moveable barrier systems • Contractor accountability

  17. Late Merge

  18. Moveable barrier

  19. Contractor Accountability • Arizona SR 68 (FHWA-HOP-04-032) • $400k incentive pool • Travel times exceeding 27 minutes reduced incentive pool

  20. Reducing Traffic Demands • Working at night and weekends • Full roadway closures • Portable Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology

  21. Extent of Nightwork

  22. Concerns about Nightwork • Efficiency, quality of work • Safety • Traveling public • Workers • Worker quality of life

  23. Full Roadway Closures • Roadway completely closed, traffic routed to alternative routes • Increases work efficiency • Eliminates traffic/work crew conflicts • Requires high degree of coordination and contingency planning • Impacts off-site difficult to predict and assess

  24. A Broader Perspective

  25. ITS Applications in Work Zones

  26. Key principles • Motorists should not be told something they already know • Motorists should never be provided incorrect information (must maintain credibility) • Motorist diversion thresholds: 10-20 minutes delay

  27. Questions

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