BACKGROUND
In 2010 there were 87,606 crashes in work zones. Between 2006 and 2010, an average of 761 people died and more than 37,000 people were injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones. During that same period an average of 114 highway construction workers died and more than 20,000 workers were injured in road construction work zones each year (FHWA’s Work Zone Safety and Mobility Program). Construction work zones on freeways are also estimated to account for nearly 24% of non-recurring delay. In order to reduce these crashes and delays, and their resulting negative effects on lives and the economy, a better understanding of work zone transportation management strategies is needed to inform project designs, traffic control plans, and transportation management plans (TMPs) that will (a) allow for the safe, effective, and economical maintenance of traffic through work zones; and (b) reduce or eliminate negative consequences to regional mobility and the economy.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this research are to (1) review current practice in work zone TMPs and the strategies used by state departments of transportation; (2) conduct a field evaluation of selected strategies; and (3) produce a guidebook to assist work zone practitioners on selecting the most effective and cost-efficient TMP strategies to implement in a particular construction setting.
