Managing Work Zone Safety and Mobility presented by Param Sankar Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

1. Managing Work Zone Safety and Mobility presented by Param Sankar Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Acknowledgments Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

2. Presentation Outline • Key Issues • Traffic Control Transportation Management • FHWA’s Final Rule on Work Zone (WZ) Safety and Mobility • Systematically Addressing WZ Issues in Project Delivery • Resources and More Information • WZ Management Strategies

3. Key Issues

4. More Work Zones • Our highways are approaching “middle age” • More construction and repair is needed – MORE WORK ZONES About 20% of NHS is under construction during the peak summer road work season

5. Congestion • Growing traffic volumes and congestion • Vehicle travel up, but very little growth in road miles 1980 to 2001 – VMT increased by 82%, while highway lane miles only increased 4.2%

6. Work Zones Add to Congestion • Work Zones add to the congestion problem

7. Safety • Work zone safety continues to be a concern • 2003 to 2005: Roughly 40,000 injuries and 1,000 fatalities in WZs every year

8. Contractors Under Pressure • More work is done under traffic • Compressed contractor schedules, interrupted shifts, increasing night work • Worker safety • Quality of work

9. Public Dissatisfaction • Travelers are not happy with work zones • Unexpected road conditions and inconsistency cause traveler frustration 2000 Traveler Survey - work zones received second lowest overall satisfaction level!

10. Culture Change Traffic Control Transportation Management

11. Traffic Control Transportation Management • Systematic approach to assess and manage WZ impacts – customer-focused approach • Expand thinking beyond the actual WZ itself • Corridor, network and regional issues – alternate routes, modes, adjacent corridors, truck traffic, incidents, etc. • Expand WZ management beyond “traffic safety and control” • Address mobility in addition to safety • Address current day issues of “operations and management” and “public information” • Advocate innovative thinking in WZ planning, design, and management • Think outside of the “traffic safety and control” box

12. FHWA’s Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility

13. FHWA’s Final Rule • Entitled “Work Zone Safety and Mobility” • Published September 9, 2004; • Compliance date – October 12, 2007 • Key aspects • Institutionalize WZ processes and procedures • Partnership and multi-disciplinary approach • Advance WZ considerations throughout project delivery • Traffic Control Plan (TCPs)Transportation Management Plans (TMPs) • Active monitoring and management of WZ performance

14. Key Concepts/Provisions WZ Impacts WZ Impacts WZ induced deviation from the normal range of transportation system safety and mobility…… • Impacts may vary based on factors such as: • Road classification • Area type • Traffic characteristics • Travel characteristics • Type of work • Time of day • Project complexity • Impacts may extend beyond the WZ • Roadway • Other corridors • Intersections • Interchanges • Other modes • Network/region

15. Key Concepts/Provisions TMP Transportation Management Plan (TMP) • Consists of strategies to manage WZ impacts of projects • Always has a Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) Plan • In addition, it may also have: • Transportation Operations (TO) component, and • Public Information (PI) component • Scope, content and degree of detail depends on State’s • WZ policy provisions, and • Understanding of expected WZ impacts of projects

16. Key Concepts/Provisions Significant Projects Obviously, you can’t have TO and PI components for all projects – so, there had to be a way to stratify TMPs • What is a significant project? • Causes sustained WZ impacts, greater than what is considered “tolerable” based on State policy and(or) engineering judgment • Specifically, all Interstate projects in designated TMAs that last more than three days with continuous or intermittent lane closures • How are the TMP provisions stratified? • For significant projects, TMPs must consist of a TTC plan, and also address TO and PI components • For all other projects, TMPs to consist at least of a TTC plan

17. Considering Work Zones In Project Delivery

18. Project Delivery Cycle Policy & Standard Procedures Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

19. Policy and Standard Procedures • Implement overall WZ safety and mobility policy • Facilitates systematic consideration and management of WZ impacts throughout project development and implementation • Sensitive to varying project characteristics and expected WZ impacts • Multi-disciplinary team approach • Standard processes / procedures to help apply the policy to projects Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

20. Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) • Get a “conceptual” understanding of expected WZ impacts of projects • Identify “significant projects” • Allocate budgets and program the right amount of $$ Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

21. Preliminary Eng. / Investigation (PE&I) Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) • Identify potential WZ impacts • Identify potential transportation management strategies • Identify other coordination issues • Prepare blueprint for designing the project and developing the appropriate TMP Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

22. Design, PS&E, and Contracting Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) • Assess / Analyze WZ impacts (progressively and comprehensively) • Address alternative design, construction, contracting, and management strategies in the assessment • Develop appropriate TMP • Include appropriate TMP items in PS&E Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

23. Construction Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) • Implement TMP • Monitor safety and mobility • Use field observations, crash data, and operational information to manage impacts • Consult with appropriate stakeholders • Conduct project reviews for gauging overall performance Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

24. Performance Assessment (Post-hoc) Systems Planning (TIP/STIP) • Analyze crash and operational data from multiple projects • Towards improving processes and procedures • Maintain data and information resources to support improvements • Conduct process reviews • WZ data analysis and/or project reviews • Improve WZ processes and procedures, data and information resources, and training programs Preliminary Engineering & Investigation (PE&I) Design, PS&E, and Contracting Construction Performance Assessment

25. Resources and More Information

26. FHWA – Rule Related Guidance http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule.htm • FAQs  • TMP Development Guide  • Public Information and Outreach Guide • Comprehensive Rule Implementation Guide  • Work Zone Impacts Assessment Guide – coming soon • Other content  • Final Rule Language • Informational Materials • Presentations • Real-World Examples

27. TMP Guide – TMP Strategies Section • TTC Strategies • Control strategies • Traffic control devices • Project coordination, contracting and innovative construction • PI Strategies • Public awareness • Motorist information • TO Strategies • Demand management • Corridor/network management • WZ safety management • Traffic and incident management and enforcement

28. TMP Guide – TMP Strategies Section • WZ Management Strategy Selection Matrix

29. FHWA WZ Website URL: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/

30. AASHTO Peer Exchange Workshop URL: http://tig.transportation.org/?siteid=57&pageid=1594