Transportation Construction Work-Zone Safety Impact on Time-Related Incentive Contracting Projects

Work-zone safety on highway projects continues to be a national concern, and project safety performance is one of the indicators of project success. Many contractors and State Transportation Agencies believe that expedited construction time under incentive contracting contributes to reducing the safety risk of road users traveling through work zones. However, the truth of this belief has never been measured or supported by any statistical evidence. Therefore, this research investigates the statistical relationship between time-related incentive road construction projects and frequency of vehicle crashes in California to understand the impact of time-related incentive provisions on project safety performance. The research team collected incentive and non-incentive project data from the California Department of Transportation. Additionally, vehicle crash data was collected from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, the locations of construction projects and crashes at the project locations were then pinpointed on GIS centerline layers. The research team performed statistical analyses to test the relationship between the frequency and characteristics of crashes at incentive project sites and ones at non-incentive project sites before, during, and after construction. Finally, the analysis results for both time-related incentive projects and non-incentive projects were summarized to provide project planners and managers with a better understanding of the impact of time-related incentive contracting on project safety performance

INDOT Work Zone Safety Update

This session will provide guidance on work zone safety topics that is geared toward designers who prepare MOT plans on construction and the professionals who implement these plans in the field. The topics discussed will likely include common problems encountered in the field and recent updates to the Indiana Design Manual, Standard Specifications and Drawings

Review of Work Zone Literature

A literature search was conducted with the objective of identifying sources of information related to safety in highway work zones. Included is an annotated bibliography of 165 references. From the references, a list of recommendations were made to improve safety in highway work zones. The recommendations were organized into the six categories listed below. Flagging Delineation Traffic Control Devices Accidents Design Polic

Improving Highway Work Zone Safety

Highway work zones disrupt normal traffic flow and can create severe safety problems. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction in the United States, the number of work zones is increasing nationwide. With a total of 1,010 fatalities and more than 40,000 injuries occurring in 2006, improvements in work zone safety are necessary. The three primary objectives of this research project included: 1) to determine the effectiveness of a Portable Changeable Message Sign (PCMS) in reducing vehicle speeds on two-lane, rural highway work zones; 2) to determine the effectiveness of a Temporary Traffic Sign (TTS), (W20-1, “Road Work Ahead”); and 3) to determine motorists’ responses to the signage. To accomplish these objectives, field experiments were conducted at US-36 and US-73 in Seneca and Hiawatha, Kansas, respectively. During the field experiments, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the PCMS was conducted under three different conditions: 1) PCMS on; 2) PCMS off, but still visible; and 3) PCMS removed from the road and out of sight. The researchers also divided the vehicles into three classes (passenger car, truck, and semitrailer) and compared the mean speed change of these classes based on three different sign setups: PCMS on, PCMS off, and the use of the TTS (W20-1, “Road Work Ahead”). A survey was also conducted at the experimental work zones to obtain a general understanding of the motorists’ attitudes as they traveled through the construction areas. Based on the data analysis results, researchers concluded that the presence of the PCMS effectively reduced vehicle speeds on two-lane highway work zones. A slow speed is more likely to reduce the probability of a crash or the severity of a crash. In addition, researchers performed a univariate analysis of the variance test to determine if a significant interaction existed between motorists’ responses and the sign conditions. The results showed a significant interaction between the signs and passenger car vehicles

Work-Zone Traffic Performance Measures

This project synthesized current work-zone performance measures into a toolbox that details the resources available and also provides current information and ideas on what other state agencies are doing to report performance to the public

Hydrodynamic modelling of hydrostatic magnesium extrusion

Wilson’s hydrodynamic model of the hydrostatic extrusion process is extended to meet the geometry found on residual billets. The transition from inlet\ud to work zone of the process is not considered sharp as in the model of Wilson but as a rounded edge, modelled by a parabolic function. It is shown that\ud this rounded edge has a considerable influence on the predicted film thickness. Furthermore, it is shown that for hydrostatic extrusion of magnesium with castor oil as pressure medium, it is not possible to generate full film lubrication in the work zone of the hydrostatic extrusion process

Process to Improve Work Zone Progression

INDOT performs regular construction and maintenance work zone audits. This presentation will provide an overview of the findings from reviews in 2012

Public Education for Work Zone Safety

This project aims to help improve work zone driver safety in Indiana through driver education and public awareness campaigns. The project focused on two specific objectives: (1) to design a public awareness campaign to increase drivers’ knowledge and influence positive attitudes about work zone driver safety practices; and (2) to prepare educational materials to be incorporated into driver’s education or training curriculum prior to taking driving test and getting a driver’s license issued. The campaign was informed by formative research, conducted using a survey to assess public knowledge and attitudes. Based on these results, campaign messages were designed. The effectiveness of the campaign messages was tested through an online survey which provided feedback to improve the effectiveness of materials and messages. This report concludes with recommendations to INDOT for the successful implementation of the public awareness campaign and educational materials, that might be applicable to other states as well

De-Identification of Work Zone Signage

In this session we compare methods used to alter the message displayed by construction signs either prior to or within a work zone. Various hinge techniques, sign covers, and secondary, qualifying signs are presently being used