MTC Asset Newsletter Winter 2006

Recently Completed Research

Synthesis of Procedures to Forecast and Monitor Work Zone Safety and Mobility Impacts

Tom Maze (Iowa State University)

This project provides a synthesis of what is currently being done by state transportation agencies (STAs) across the country to plan, manage, operate, and evaluate work zone safety and mobility.

Administrative Final Rule CFR part 630 Subpart J “Work Zone Safety and Mobility” requires that STAs develop policies to investigate the safety and mobility impacts as early as possible in the project development process. The rule provides some flexibility by allowing each state to set its own procedures and policies to comply and by allowing states to seek solutions that are commensurate with the severity of the potential impacts and require the most aggressive planning for “significant projects.”

The research included interviews of staff members at 30 STAs and three case studies. Maze found that only California and Ohio had really thought about work zone impacts throughout the life-cycle of project development and project delivery and had documented the roles and interactions between different offices.

Most agencies that were interviewed lacked objective performance data. However, many described processes where they have experts review and evaluate work zones on a periodic or continuous basis.

For more information, see www.ctre.iastate.edu/mtc/projects/2005-01.htm.