Best Practices For Work Zone Safety During Traffic Control Placement Removal And Modification Phase I PDF Download

Studies have shown that drivers are at a higher risk of being involved in a crash when travelling through a work zone compared to normal driving conditions. Research further suggests that the crashes that occur in work zones are, on average, more severe than crashes that occur outside of work zones. The periods while temporary traffic control is being set-up, removed, or modified are also especially concerning given the exposure of the workers to traffic and the transition in the driving environment. This study aims to investigate the safety hazards and risk present during set-up, removal, and modification of temporary traffic control on high-speed roadways, and identify potential practices for improving safety during the traffic control deployment and removal processes. To date, the researchers have performed a comprehensive literature review on the study topic and conducted a survey of state department of transportation and highway construction contractor personnel. The results reveal a lack of a standard process/procedure and detailed guidance for setting up and removing traffic control. The survey results expose steps in the process that pose high risk to workers and motorists, such as when the traffic control is being placed to initially set the taper to close a lane. This document is an interim report that describes the study results to date and provides a proposed methodology for the remaining study tasks.