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Improving Highway Work Zone Safety
Li, Yue Chan, Mark Sai Leong Firman, Umar Finger, Kris Mills, Megan M. Bai, Yong Schrock, Steven D. Chong, Oswald Atchley, Paul Perlmutter, David D.
Li, Yue
Chan, Mark Sai Leong
Firman, Umar
Finger, Kris
Mills, Megan M.
Bai, Yong
Schrock, Steven D.
Chong, Oswald
Atchley, Paul
Perlmutter, David D.
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Abstract
Highway work zones disrupt normal traffic flow and can create severe safety problems. Due to the rising needs in highway maintenance and construction in the United States, the number of work zones is increasing nationwide. With a total of 1,010 fatalities and more than 40,000 injuries occurring in 2006, improvements in work zone safety are necessary. The three
primary objectives of this research project included: 1) to determine the effectiveness of a Portable Changeable Message Sign (PCMS) in reducing vehicle speeds on two-lane, rural highway work zones; 2) to determine the effectiveness of a Temporary Traffic Sign (TTS), (W20-1, “Road Work Ahead”); and 3) to determine motorists’ responses to the signage. To accomplish these objectives, field experiments were conducted at US-36 and US-73 in Seneca and Hiawatha, Kansas, respectively. During the field experiments, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the PCMS was conducted under three different conditions: 1) PCMS on; 2)
PCMS off, but still visible; and 3) PCMS removed from the road and out of sight. The researchers also divided the vehicles into three classes (passenger car, truck, and semitrailer) and compared the mean speed change of these classes based on three different sign setups: PCMS on, PCMS off, and the use of the TTS (W20-1, “Road Work Ahead”). A survey was also conducted
at the experimental work zones to obtain a general understanding of the motorists’ attitudes as they traveled through the construction areas. Based on the data analysis results, researchers concluded that the presence of the PCMS effectively reduced vehicle speeds on two-lane highway work zones. A slow speed is more likely to reduce the probability of a crash or the
severity of a crash. In addition, researchers performed a univariate analysis of the variance test to determine if a significant interaction existed between motorists’ responses and the sign conditions. The results showed a significant interaction between the signs and passenger car vehicles.
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Date
2009-01
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University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.
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Li, Y., Chan, M., Firman, U., Finger, K., Mills, M., Bai, Y. Schrock, S., Chong, O., Atchley, P., and Perlmutter, D., "Improving Highway Work Zone Safety," Final Report, KU Transportation Research Institute, Kansas Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, January 2009, 196 pgs.