Work Zone Safety and Traffic Management Alazar Tesfaye, PE Traffic Operations Engineer Colorado DOT Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division Rahel Desalegne, PE, PTOE Senior Traffic/ITS Engineer TranSmart Technologies, Inc. Safe Roads To Health First ERA-EEO Transportation and Safety Symposium Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 30, 2014

What is a Work Zone?  A designated area on a street or highway where construction is taking place.  “An area of a traffic-way where construction, maintenance, or utility work activities are identified by warning signs/signals/indicators, including those on transport devices that mark the beginning and end of a construction, maintenance, or utility work activity…signals” FHWA

Importance of Work Zone Safety and Traffic Management  Injury and fatality exposures are higher in highway work zones for workers, motorist and pedestrians  Work zone traffic control/management influences drivers’ perception of risk  Provides information on potential hazards  Minimizes aggressive behavior  Assists in navigation  Keep work zones safe for workers, motorist and pedestrians.

Importance of Work Zone Safety and Traffic Management  Work Zone Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) and management are used to improve safety in work zones  TTC combines highway/traffic engineering features with what rational drivers expectation  TTC considers:  Various age groups of drivers and pedestrians  Complexity of work zone information handling  Limited capability of humans for detecting, processing, and remembering information

Work Zone Challenges  Day & night time condition awareness  Traffic pattern changes  Incident management  Construction worker & road user safety  Work zone congestion & delay  Roadway capacity & speed reductions  Alternate routing & travel route availability

Types of Work Zones  Each Work zone is different  Many variables affect the needs of each work zone:  Location of work  Duration of work  Highway type  Geometrics »Vertical and horizontal alignment, intersections, interchanges, etc.  Road user volumes »Road vehicle mix (buses, trucks, and cars) and road user speeds

Type of Work Zones  Major factor in determining the number and types of devices used in Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) zones  As per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), five categories of work duration are defined:  Long-term stationary is work that occupies a location more than 3 days  Intermediate-term stationary is work that occupies a location more than one daylight period up to 3 days, or nighttime work lasting more than 1 hour  Short-term stationary is daytime work that occupies a location for more than 1 hour within a single daylight period  Short duration is work that occupies a location up to 1 hour  Mobile is work that moves intermittently or continuously.

Long Term Stationary Work (more than 3 days)  Typically utilize a full range of TTC procedures and devices  TTC elements may include: »Larger channelizing devices, temporary roadways, and temporary traffic barriers »Retro reflective and/or illuminated devices Source:

Intermediate-Term Stationary Work (up to 3 days, or nighttime work lasting more than 1 hour)  May not be practical to use the same procedures or devices for long-term stationary TTC zones, s uch as altered pavement markings, temporary traffic barriers, and temporary roadways.  Increased time to place and remove these devices could significantly lengthen the project, thus increasing exposure time.

Intermediate-Term Stationary Work Source:

Short-Term Stationary Work (more than 1 hour within a single daylight period)  Most maintenance and utility operations are short-term stationary work  Devices having greater mobility might be necessary »Signs mounted on trucks »Use channelizing cones  Appropriately colored or marked vehicles with rotating/strobe lights may be used in place of signs and channelizing devices »May be augmented with signs or arrow panels

Short-Term Stationary Work Source:

Mobile Work Zone  Often involve frequent short stops for activities  Such as pavement marking, litter cleanup, pothole patching, or utility operations, and are similar to short-duration operations  TTC zones may includes :  Warning signs, high-intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lights on a vehicle, flags, and/or channelizing devices  Flaggers  A shadow vehicle equipped with an arrow panel or a sign following the work vehicle

Mobile Work Zone

Work Zone Traffic Control Guidelines  Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides minimum Federal requirements  Various demanding situations may warrant enhanced safety precautions, such as:  Nighttime work  Inclement weather conditions  Unusual roadway geometry and environment  Combinations of the above  Going beyond existing standards/guidelines may be necessary to ensure highest levels of traffic and worker safety

Work Zone Traffic Control Guidelines  MUTCD provides clear guidance

Work Zone Elements Advance warning area Transition area Buffer space Activity (work) area Termination area

Work Zone Elements  Advance warning area  Advises drivers about what to expect in the upcoming work zone area or areas

Work Zone Elements Transition area  Redirect traffic from a normal traffic flow to a new flow

Work Zone Elements  Buffer space  Provides protection for workers

Work Zone Elements  Activity area  The area where work takes place which may also include a “lateral” buffer space.

Work Zone Elements  Termination area  Shall be used to return road users to their normal path  Shall extend from the downstream end of the work area to the last TTC device

 Key elements that SHOULD be considered to improve worker safety:  Training  Worker safety apparel  Temporary reflective traffic barriers  Speed reduction measures  Planning of activity area  Planning for worker safety Worker Safety Considerations Worker safety apparel

Workers Safety What’s wrong in this picture?

Workers Safety What’s wrong in this picture?

Flagger Safety What’s wrong in these pictures?

Transportation Management Plan  Objective is:  Ensures the safety of road users and workers  “Transportation Management Plan (TMP) lays out a set of strategies for managing the work zone impacts of a project” FHWA  Shows how traffic will be managed during construction  Required on ALL Federal-aid projects  Scalable to the type of project being considered

TMP Contents  Transportation Management Plans (TMP)  Required on all projects  Temporary Traffic Control Plan (TTCP)  Transportation Operations Plan (TOP)  Public Information Plan (PIP)  Significant Project  TTCP, TOP and PIP Required Non-Significant Project  TTCP Required  TOP and PIP Recommended

TMP Development  TMP development begins in the project planning and scoping phase  Involves planning and design staff  Incorporates big picture issues  Further details as project progresses  Allows more accurate programming and budgets »Maintaining traffic schemes (Temporary structure for maintaining traffic, crossovers, etc.) »Temporary ITS applications »Coordination with corridor and network projects

TMP Implementation  Performance  Performance monitoring »Worksite trailers »Travel time »Queues »Cameras / Detectors  Crashes »How much did accidents decrease because of mitigation measures and comparable projects »Did accident severity decrease  Measurements versus expectations »How did actual measured delay compare with expected delay (travel time, queues)  Project documentation

Employers' Responsibility  On the worksite:  Always keep other workers in mind  Set up a means of communication with workers around you  Never allow unauthorized workers to ride on equipment  Make Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) a requirement to all workers (ie. Reflective vest, hart hat, etc.)

 Know the Job!  Know the internal traffic control plan  Know the work zone and your position in it  Use designated equipment routes and areas  Identify rollover hazards such as unleveled areas, embankments, and unstable soil Employee’s Responsibility

 Put into practice all training provided by the employer  Always wear high visibility clothing and other PPE as required

Safety Awareness  As a motorist:  Pay attention to the orange diamond shaped warning signs  Stay alert  Minimize distractions  Follow posted speed limits  Be prepared for the unexpected Source:

Additional Information  American Society of Safety Engineers  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health  Federal Highway Administration  Federal OSHA

Questions? Thank you