VIRGINIA’S IMPLEMENTATION of the FINAL RULE on WORK ZONE SAFETY and MOBILITY Virginia Department of Transportation’s Instructional and Informational Memorandum-LD-241 Traffic Engineering Division Memorandum – TE-343

Overview Previous Virginia Department of Transportation Efforts Current Work Zone Guidance (Transportation Management Plan Requirements) Training Requirements Current Implementation Status Lessons Learned

Previous VDOT Efforts Task Group’s Report on the Development of Traffic Control Plans and Training for Designers was submitted in June 2005 In June 2004 a Task Group was formed to provide guidelines for temporary traffic control plans

Previous VDOT Efforts THESE REPORTS CAN BE ACCESSED ON-LINE AT: Two reports directly related to the Final Rule have been completed by the Virginia Transportation Research Council: Guidelines for Developing Transportation Management Plans in Virginia Estimation of Traffic Impacts at Work Zones: State of the Practice

Previous VDOT Efforts Using the Task Group’s Report and the research reports as guidance a series of meetings were conducted to solicit information and support. November 2005, regional meetings were held in Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Salem attended by district traffic, design, construction and FHWA personnel. Starting in October 2005, work zone safety coordinators from Central Office met with Central Office Location and Design staff to define roles and responsibilities for the development of Transportation Management Plans. In addition to these meetings, several presentations were made to C.O. and District staff on the proposed policy.

Previous VDOT Efforts Beginning in December 2005 a series of draft Instructional & Informational/Traffic Engineering Memorandums were developed for review by District, Regional and Central Office traffic, design and operations staff. June 2006 a final draft was reviewed and approved by the Regional Traffic Engineers, Regional Operations Directors, and District & Central Office L&D Engineers July 2006 this final draft was submitted to the FHWA Virginia Division’s Safety Engineer for review and comment.

Previous VDOT Efforts On August 15, 2006, after incorporating comments from the FHWA Virginia Division’s Safety Engineer, the State’s Traffic and Location & Design Engineers signed the joint memorandum on Transportation Management Plans

Previous VDOT Efforts In addition to the drafting of the memorandum on TMP’s, the following tasks were completed: Evaluation of traffic analysis software specific to work zone impacts. Incorporating temporary traffic control, Public information and traffic operations reviews into the Department’s Concurrent Engineering Process Developed a Special Provision Copied Noted covering requirements for contractor proposed TMPs’.

Transportation Management Plan Requirements IIM-LD-241/TED-343 on Work Zone Safety and Mobility

Transportation Management Plan Requirements IIM-LD-241/TED-343 on Work Zone Safety and Mobility Provides guidance on: Temporary Traffic Control, Public Information, and Traffic Operations strategies for managing work zone impacts to traffic. Roles and responsibilities for project teams in developing TMPs during the preliminary engineering and construction phases of a project. Categorizes projects based on the complexity of the construction.

Transportation Management Plan Requirements IIM-LD-241/TED-343 on Work Zone Safety and Mobility Three Categories of Projects: Category 1 – Typically maintenance projects with traffic maintained at all times. Flagging and lane closures must comply with published regional lane closure polices. Category 2 – Typical roadway construction project with traffic impact limited to the area containing the work zone. Requires a traffic impact analysis proportional to the complexity of the construction and duration of the work zone(s). Category 3 – Large scale multi-phase multi-year construction projects on Interstate, freeway and primary arterial roadways and/or a series of projects within a TMA. Requires a detailed traffic analysis for the work zone and all adjacent roadways.

Transportation Management Plan Requirements Category One Projects Typically simple single phase projects Comply with Region’s lane closure policy Requires a Temporary Traffic Control Plan in a narrative format with sketches noting: –Work zone location, width & length –Number of affected lanes –Hours the work zone will be active –Applicable TTC Figure from the Work Area Protection Manual Recommends a Public Communications Plan & a Transportation Operations Plan

Transportation Management Plan Requirements Category Two Projects Complex projects consisting of lane closures, traffic shifts and /or detours Requires a traffic impact assessment Requires a Temporary Traffic Control Plan with Detail Plans, Typical Sections and/or special details Requires a Public Communications Plan for high volume roadways and a Transportation Operations Plan for work zones greater than ½ mile in length

Transportation Management Plan Requirements Category Three Projects Large scale multi-phase multi-year construction projects on Interstate, freeway and primary arterial roadways and/or a series of projects within a TMA. Requires a detailed traffic impact assessment Requires a Temporary Traffic Control Plan with Detail Plans, Typical Sections and/or special details, a Public Communications Plan and a Transportation Operations Plan.

Training Requirements Formed a Work Zone Safety Training Committee in December 2006 Composed of members from construction, design, maintenance, operations, local assistance, traffic and training disciplines as well as FHWA and industry. Determined that wzs training fell into one of three distinct areas: –Design –Construction –Operations

Training Requirements Based on wz responsibilities and job decisions, the committee is proposing three levels of training (course) requirements: –Basic – focusing on daily setups - one-day class –Intermediate – focusing on long term works zones - two-day class –Advanced – focusing on wz design elements - two-day class The committee also identified positions with higher responsibilities requiring wz certification.

Proposed Work Zone Safety Training Requirements WhoWhatWhenCertification Maintenance Staff Basic - 1 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Contractor Personnel Basic - 1 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Construction Inspectors Intermediate - 2 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Utility Personnel Basic - 1 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Permit Personnel Basic - 1 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Work Zone Safety Coordinators Intermediate & Advanced – 2 Day Every 4 years Yes Contractor Traffic Control Supervisors Intermediate - 2 Day Every 4 years Yes Roadway Designers Advanced – 2 Day Every 4 years No, 80% Passing Training Requirements

Training completed to date: On a monthly basis, work zone safety training for maintenance, construction, utility and permit personnel (VDOT Basic & Flagger) October 2006, Pilot, Virginia Specific Traffic Control Supervisor class (VDOT Intermediate) November 2006, Pilot, Virginia Specific Traffic Control Design Specialist class (VDOT Advanced)

Current Implementation Status Tasks that need to be completed: Acquire formal approval of IIM-LD-241/TED-343 by FHWA Virginia Division Office Finalize training requirements Acquire approval by the Department’s Specification Committee of all special provisions related to TMPs Establish an annual training schedule & budget

Lessons Learned Small Group/Discipline Meetings Training Must Precede Implementation Additional Lead-time

Final Rule on Work Zone Safety & Mobility Additional Information on Virginia’s Implementation of the Final Rule for Work Zone Safety and Mobility contact: Paul Kelley Telephone: Or David Rush Telephone: